1 


Library  of  the 
University  of  North  Carolina 

Endowed  by  the  Dialectic  and  Philan 
thropic  Societies 

0398 


I 


J398 


61U10 


Ozaki 

Japanese  fairy  book 

Trans  -  ,       ro 
iftJVENILE  HISTORICAL  COLL. 


.,• 


' 


This  BOOK  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKS 
ONLY,    and    is    subject    to    a    fine    of~"¥Bf-E  - 
2iTCENTS  a  day  thereafter.    It-was-taken-ottt-ea.-. 
the  day  indicated  below.  T\  iu  ' 


|7Aug'41LS 
|6May'42LS 

14May'4SL8 
|26Jufl'46l$ 

29Jun'46LS 


1948 


MAR  2  9 '« 

■■■■■-'  t 

AG  20  m 


Lib.  10M-N  '37 


■jjj 

MAR  2  8 1962 

■  i  1  2  '&'3 

y»  ifi* 

MAR  ; 

APR  2  8  1970 

v "'  •  e 

ROV  I  7  1.07- 

•»n  :- 

Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/japanesefairybooOOoza 


Prince  Vamato  Take  bade  his  wife  help  him  to  attire  himself  like  a  woman. 

frontispiece. 


rTHE 

i^efJdei^ed  i^Jo  e^glisH 

BY 


Library 

The  University  of  N.  C. 


NEW  YeRK! 


BRADBURY,    AGNEW,    &    CO.    LD.,    PRINTERS, 
LONDON    AND    TONBRIDGE. 


Printed  October,   1903. 

Reprinted  June,   1904;  September,   1906. 

September,  1908. 


J 


TO 

ELEANOR     MARION-CRAWFORD. 
|  gE&irate  iljts  Jlook 

TO  YOU  AND  TO  THE  SWEET  CHILD-FRIENDSHIP  THAT  YOU  GAVE  ME 
IN  THE  DAYS  SPENT  WITH  YOU  BY  THE  SOUTHERN  SEA,  WHEN  YOU 
USED  TO  LISTEN  WITH  UNFEIGNED  PLEASURE  TO  THESE  FAIRY 
STORIES  FROM  FAR  JAPAN.  MAY  THEY  NOW  REMIND  YOU  OF  MV 
CHANGELESS   LOVE  AND    REMEMBRANCE. 

Y.  T.  O. 

Tokio. 


PREFACE. 


This  collection  of  Japanese  fairy  tales  is  the  outcome  of 
a  suggestion  made  to  me  indirectly  through  a  friend  by 
Mr.  Andrew  Lang.  They  have  been  translated  from  the 
modern  version  written  by  Sadanami  Sanjin.  These  stories 
are  not  literal  translations,  and  though  the  Japanese  story  and 
all  quaint  Japanese  expressions  have  been  faithfully  preserved, 
they  have  been  told  more  with  the  view  to  interest  young 
readers  of  the  West  than  the  technical  student  of  folk-lore. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  due  to  Mr.  Y.  Yasuoka,  Miss 
Fusa  Okamoto,  my  brother  Nobumori  Ozaki,  Dr.  Yoshihiro 
Takaki,  and  Miss  Kameko  Yamao,  who  have  helped  me  with 
translations. 

The  story  which  I  have  named  "The  Story  of  the  Man 
who  did  not  Wish  to  Die  "  is  taken  from  a  little  book  written  a 
hundred  years  ago  by  one  Shinsui  Tamenaga.  It  is  named 
Chosei  Furo,  or  "  Longevity."  "  The  Bamboo-cutter  and  the 
Moon-child"  is  taken  from  the  classic  "  Taketari  Monogatari," 
and  is  not  classed  by  the  Japanese  among  their  fairy  tales, 
though    it    really   belongs   to    this    class  of  literature. 

The  pictures  were  drawn  by  Mr.  Kakuzo  Fujiyama,  a 
Tokio'  artist. 

In  telling  these  stories  in  English  I  have  followed  my  fancy 


vi  Preface. 

in  adding  such  touches  of  local  colour  or  description  as  they 
seemed  to  need  or  as  pleased  me,  and  in  one  or  two  instances 
I  have  gathered  in  an  incident  from  another  version.  At  all 
times,  among  my  friends,  both  young  and  old,  English  or 
American,  I  have  always  found  eager  listeners  to  the  beautiful 
legends  and  fairy  tales  of  Japan,  and  in  telling  them  I  have 
also  found  that  they  were  still  unknown  to  the  vast  majority, 
and  this  has  encouraged  me  to  write  them  for  the  children  of 
the  West. 

Y.  T.  0. 

Tokio. 


CONTENTS. 


<i 


MY    LORD    BAG    OF    RICE 


•  THE  TONGUE-CUT    SPARROW 

.THE  STORY   OF   URASHIMA   TARO,    THE    FISHER    LAD  ... 

THE  FARMER    AND    THE    BADGER  ■  

THE  SHINANSHA,    OR    THE    SOUTH    POINTING    CARRIAGE 

■  THE  ADVENTURES    OF    KINTARO,    THE    GOLDEN    BOY    ... 

THE  STORY   OF   PRINCESS    HASH  

THE  STORY   OF   THE. MAN    WHO    DID   NOT   WISH    TO    DIE 

THE  BAMBOO-CUTTER    AND    THE    MOON-CHILD 

THE  MIRROR    OF    MATSUYAMA 

THE  GOBLIN    OF   ADACHIGAHARA 

THE  SAGACIOUS    MONKEY   AND    THE    BOAR 

THE  HAPPY    HUNTER    AND    THE    SKILFUL    FISHER 

THE  STORY    OF   THE    OLD    MAN    WHO    MADE    WITHERED    TREES    TO 

THE  JELLY    FISH    AND    THE    MONKEY     ...  

THE  QUARREL    OF    THE    MONKEY   AND    THE    CRAB 

THE  WHITE    HARE    AND    THE    CROCODILES 

THE  STORY   OF    PRINCE    YAMATO    TAKE  

MOMOTARO,    OR    THE    STORY   OF   THE    SON    OF   A   PEACH 

THE  OGRE    OF   RASHOMON  ...       .      ...' 

HOW    AN    OLD    MAN    LOST   HIS    WEN        

.THE  STONES    OF    FIVE    COLOURS    AND    THE    EMPRESS    JOKWA... 


PAGE 

.. 

I 

12 

..     26 

••   43 

■•   54 

..   60 

..   74 

..   87 

..   98 

119— 

•  •  14° 

..  148 

••  ?53 

FLOWEI 

i   177 

..  189 

..  203 

..  214 

..  224 

..  244 

> 

...  262 

••  273 

... 

..  283 

LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Coloured  Plates.  to  face 

page 

prince  yamato  take  bade  his  wife  help  him  attire  himself  like  a 

woman       ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...    Frontispiece. 

URASHIMA  TARO  AND  THE  SEA  KING'S  DAUGHTER         ...             ...            ...            ...  34 

THEY  ALL  GAZED  WITH  TEARFUL  EYES  AT  THE  RECEDING  PRINCESS              ...  I  18 
THE     MONKEY    PROPOSED    THE    EXCHANGE    OF    THE    HARD    PERSIMMON-SEED 

FOR  THE  CRAB'S  NICE  DUMPLING...            ...             ...             ...            ...            ...  203 


Illustrations  in  the  Text. 

PAGE 

PUTTING  ASIDE  ALL  FEAR,  HE  WENT  FORWARD  DAUNTLESSLY     3 

HIDESATO  TOOK  ANOTHER  ARROW     ...     ...     ...  6 

THE  PROCESSION       ...  IO 

AND  WITH  THESE  DREADFUL  WORDS  SHE  DROVE  THE  BIRD  AWAY  ...     ...  14 

THE  LADY  SPARROW  INTRODUCED  ALL  HER  FAMILY  ...     ...     ...     ...  18 

THE  OLD  WOMAN  HAD  NEVER  BEEN  SO  FRIGHTENED  IN  HER  LIFE 24 

THE  GATE  OF  SOME  LARGE  PALACE   ...     ...     ...     ...     ...     ...  32 

A  BEAUTIFUL  LITTLE  PURPLE  CLOUD  ROSE  OUT  OF  THE  BOX      ...     ...  40 

THE  FARMER'S  WIFE  POUNDING  BARLEY     ...     ...     ...     ...     ...  44 

HE  SET  THE  BUNDLE  OF  GRASS  ON  FIRE     ...     ...     ...  49 

HE  RAISED  HIS  OAR  AND  STRUCK  AT  THE  BADGER  WITH  ALL  HIS  STRENGTH  52 

HE  THOUGHT  AND  PONDERED  DEEPLY  ...     ...     ...     ...     ...     ...  55 

HE  MOUNTED  THE  DRAGON    58 


x  List  of  Illustrations. 

PAGE 

THEN  THE  MONKEY  AND  THE  HARE  HOPPED  OUT          62 

THE  KIND  GENERAL  GRADUALLY  UNFOLDED  HIS  PLAN               69 

LORD  RAIKO  ORDERED  KINTARO  TO  THE  RESCUE          72 

HASE-HIME  LISTENED  IN  AN  ATTITUDE  OF  RESPECT 76 

HER  FATHER  SENT  FOR  HER  AND  TOLD    HER    WHAT    WAS    REQUIRED    OF    HER  8l 
TAKEN     BY     SURPRISE,    SHE    COULD    HARDLY    REALISE    THAT    IT    WAS    HER 

FATHER          84 

THE  CRANE  FLEW  AWAY,  RIGHT  OUT  TO  SEA 91 

HE  SCREAMED  OUT  TO  JOFUKU  TO  COME  AND  RESCUE  HIM 95 

HE  TOOK  THE  LITTLE  CREATURE  IN  HIS  HAND                99 

THE  SCREENS  SLID  OPEN,  REVEALING  THE  PRINCESS                 117 

THE  WIFE  GAZED  INTO  THE  SHINING  DISC         120 

THEY  WATCHED  HIM  AS  HE  WENT  DOWN  THE  ROAD  ...             122 

"  WHAT  I  HAVE  BROUGHT  YOU  IS  CALLED  A  MIRROR"             I24 

THE  MOTHER  ROUSED  HERSELF,  AND  TOOK  HER  DAUGHTER'S  HAND...            ...  I28 

IN  THE  ROUND  MIRROR  BEFORE  HER  SHE  SAW  HER  MOTHER'S  FACE                ...  I30 
HE    PRESSED    THE    OLD  WOMAN    TO    LET   HIM    STAY,  BUT   SHE    SEEMED  VERY 

RELUCTANT                 ...             I4I 

WHAT  HE  SAW  FROZE  THE  BLOOD  IN  HIS  VEINS            ...             I45 

AFTER  HIM  RUSHED  THE  DREADFUL  OLD  HAG...             I46 

THE  MONKEY  BEGAN  HIS  TALE  OF  WOE               ...             ...             I49 

THE  MONKEY  WAS  RUNNING  AFTER  THE   THIEF  AS  FAST  AS  HIS  LEGS  WOULD 

CARRY  HIM ...             ...             ...             ...             151 

THE  HAPPY  HUNTER  IN  VAIN  BESOUGHT  HIS  BROTHER  TO  PARDON  HIM         ...  155 

THE  CUTTLEFISH  OPENED  THE  TATS  MOUTH     ...            ...             ...            ...            ...  168 

HE  TOOK  OUT  THE  JEWEL  OF  THE  FLOOD  TIDE               ...             I74 

THE  DEEPER  HE  DUG,  THE  MORE  GOLD  COINS  DID  THE  OLD  MAN  FIND          ...  178 

THE  WITHERED  TREE  AT  ONCE  BURST  INTO  FULL  BLOOM      ...             ...            ...  183 

THE  DAIMIO  ORDERED  HIS  RETAINERS  TO  PUT  THE   IMPOSTOR  IN  PRISON    ...  186 

THE  DRAGON  KING  BLAMED  THE  DOCTOR  FOR  NOT  CURING  THE  QUEEN         ...  igi 


List  of  Illustrations. 


XI 


"  PLEASE  DON'T  GO  SO  FAST,  OR  I  AM  SURE  I  SHALL  FALL  OFF,"  SAID  THE 

MONKEY    

THEY  BEAT  THE  JELLY  FISH  TO  A  FLAT  PULP  , 

THE  MONKEY  BEGAN  TO  PLUCK  AND  EAT  AS  FAST  AS  HE  COULD        

"  IT  WAS    YOUR    FATHER'S   FAULT,    NOT   MINE,"    GASPED    THE    UNREPENTANT 

MONKEY         

SOME  OF  THE  CROCODILES  RAN  AFTER  THE  HARE  AND  CAUGHT  HIM 

THIS  MAN  HAD  A  KIND  HEART,  AND  LOOKED  AT  THE  HARE  VERY  PITYINGLY 

WHEN    THE    PRINCESS    HAD    LOOKED    AT    THE    KIND    BROTHER'S    FACE,    SHE 

WENT  STRAIGHT  UP  TO  HIM  

A  DAGGER    FLASHED    BEFORE    HIS    EYES 

A  MONSTER  SERPENT  APPEARED  

SHE  SET  TO  WORK  TO  WASH  THE  CLOTHES 

THE  PEACH  SPLIT  IN  TWO  OF  ITSELF  ... 

MOMOTARO  RETURNED  TRIUMPHANTLY  HOME,  TAKING  WITH  HIM   THE  DEVIL 

CHIEF  AS  HIS  CAPTIVE         

WATANABE  FINDS  THE  ARM  OF  THE  OGRE 

SOMEONE  WAS  KNOCKING   AT  THE  PORCH,  ASKING  FOR  ADMITTANCE 

IN  THIS  WAY  THE  OGRE  ESCAPED  WITH  HIS  ARM 

THE  DEMON  TOOK  THE  GREAT  LUMP  FROM  THE  OLD  MAN'S  CHEEK.. 

THE  OLD  MAN  TOLD  HIS  NEIGHBOUR  ALL  THAT  HAD  HAPPENED 

THERE    WAS    NOW    A   GREAT  WEN   ON    THE    RIGHT  SIDE    OF   HIS    FACE    AS    ON 

THE  LEFT     

THE  EMPRESS  JOKWA 

HAKO  LOOKED  BACK,  AND  SAW  EIKO  UNSHEATHING  A  LARGE  SWORD 

EIKO  VISITS  THE  FIRE  KING        

THE  AMBASSADORS  SET  OUT  IN  THE  MAGIC  CHARIOTS 


J.96 
201 
206 

212 
217 
2ig 

222 

23O 
24I 

245 
247 

260 
264 
268 
27O 
277 
279 

28l 
284 
285 
29O 

294' 


f 


JAPANESE    FAIRY    BOOK. 


MY     LORD     BAG     OF     RICE. 

Long,  long  ago  there  lived  in  Japan  a  brave  warrior  known 
to  all  as  Tawara  Toda,  or  "  My  Lord  Bag  of  Rice."  His  true 
name  was  Fujiwara  Hidesato,  and  there  is  a  very  interesting 
story  of  how  he  came  to  change  his  name. 

One  day  he  sallied  forth  in  search  of  adventures,  for  he  had 
the  nature  of  a  warrior  and  could  not  bear  to  be  idle.  So  he 
buckled  on  his  two  swords,  took  his  huge  bow,  much  taller 
than  himself,  in  his  hand,  and  slinging  his  quiver  on  his  back 
started  out.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  came  to  the  bridge 
of  Seta-no-Karashi  spanning  one  end  of  the  beautiful  Lake 
Bivva.  No  sooner  had  he  set  foot  on  the  bridge  than  he  saw 
lying  right  across  his  path  a  huge  serpent-dragon.  Its  body 
was  so  big  that  it  looked  like  the  trunk  of  a  large  pine  tree  and 
it  took  up  the  whole  width  of  the  bridge.  One  of  its  huge  claws 
rested  on  the  parapet  of  one  side  of  the  bridge,  while  its  tail  lay 
right  against  the  other.  The  monster  seemed  to  be  asleep,  and 
as  it  breathed,  fire  and  smoke  came  out  of  its  nostrils. 

At  first  Hidesato  could  not  help  feeling  alarmed  at  the  sight 
of  this  horrible  reptile  lying  in  his  path,  for  he  must  either 
f.b.  B 


2  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

turn  back  or  walk  right  over  its  body.  He  was  a  brave  man, 
however,  and  putting  aside  all  fear  went  forward  dauntlessly. 
Crunch,  crunch!  he  stepped  now  on  the  dragon's  body,  now 
between  its  coils,  and  without  even  one  glance  backward  he 
went  on  his  way. 

He  had  only  gone  a  few  steps  when  he  heard  someone 
calling  him  from  behind.  On  turning  back  he  was  much  sur- 
prised to  see  that  the  monster  dragon  had  entirely  disappeared 
and  in  its  place  was  a  strange-looking  man,  who  was  bowing 
most  ceremoniously  to  the  ground.  His  red  hair  streamed  over 
his  shoulders  and  was  surmounted  by  a  crown  in  the  shape  of 
a  dragon's  head,  and  his  sea-green  dress  was  patterned  with 
shells.  Hidesato  knew  at  once  that  this  was  no  ordinary 
mortal  and  he  wondered  much  at  the  strange  occurrence. 
Where  had  the  dragon  gone  in  such  a  short  space  of  time  ? 
Or  had  it  transformed  itself  into  this  man,  and  what  did  the 
whole  thing  mean  ?  While  these  thoughts  passed  through  his 
mind  he  had  come  up  to  the  man  on  the  bridge  and  now 
addressed  him : 

"  Was  it  you  that  called  me  just  now  ?  " 

"Yes,  it  was  I,"  answered  the  man;  "I  have  an  earnest 
request  to  make  to  you.  Do  you  think  you  can  grant  it  to 
me?" 

"  If  it  is  in  my  power  to  do  so  I  will,"  answered  Hidesato, 
"  but  first  tell  me  who  you  are  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Lake,  and  my  home  is  in 
these  waters  just  under  this  bridge." 

"  And  what  is  it  you  have  to  ask  of  me  ?  "  said  Hidesato. 

"  I  want  you  to  kill  my  mortal  enemy  the  centipede,  who 


My  Lord  Bag  of  Rice.  3 

lives  on  the  mountain  beyond,"  and  the  Dragon  King  pointed 
to  a  high  peak  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  lake. 


Putting  aside  all  Fear,  he  went  forward  Dauntlessly. 


"  I  have  lived  now  for  many  years  in  this  lake  and  I  have  a 
large  family  of  children  and  grandchildren.  For  some  time  past 
we  have  lived  in  terror,  for  a  monster  centipede  has  discovered 

B  2 


4  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

our  home,  and  night  after  night  it  comes  and  carries  off  one 
of  my  family.  I  am  powerless  to  save  them.  If  it  goes  on 
much  longer  like  this,  not  only  shall  I  lose  all  my  children,  but 
I  myself  must  fall  a  victim  to  the  monster.  I  am,  therefore, 
very  unhappy,  and  in  my  extremity  I  determined  to  ask  the 
help  of  a  human  being.  For  many  days  with  this  intention  I 
have  waited  on  the  bridge  in  the  shape  of  the  horrible  serpent- 
dragon  that  you  saw,  in  the  hope  that  some  strong  brave  man 
would  come  along.  But  all  who  came  this  way,  as  soon  as 
they  saw  me  were  terrified  and  ran  away  as  fast  as  they  could. 
You  are  the  first  man  I  have  found  able  to  look  at  me  without 
fear,  so  I  knew  at  once  that  you  were  a  man  of  great  courage. 
I  beg  you  to  have  pity  upon  me.  Will  you  not  help  me  and 
kill  my  enemy  the  centipede  ?  " 

Hidesato  felt  very  sorry  for  the  Dragon  King  on  hearing  his 
story,  and  readily  promised  to  do  what  he  could  to  help  him. 
The  warrior  asked  where  the  centipede  lived,  so  that  he  might 
attack  the  creature  at  once.  The  Dragon  King  replied  that 
its  home  was  on  the  mountain  Mikami,  but  that  as  it  came 
every  night  at  a  certain  hour  to  the  palace  of  the  lake,  it 
would  be  better  to  wait  till  then.  So  Hidesato  was  conducted 
to  the  palace  of  the  Dragon  King,  under  the  bridge.  Strange 
to  say,  as  he  followed  his  host  downwards  the  waters  parted  to 
let  them  pass,  and  his  clothes  did  not  even  feel  damp  as  he 
passed  through  the  flood.  Never  had  Hidesato  seen  anything  so 
beautiful  as  this  palace  built  of  white  marble  beneath  the  lake. 
He  had  often  heard  of  the  Sea  King's  Palace  at  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  where-  all  the  servants  and  retainers  were  salt-water 
fishes,  but   here  was   a  magnificent  building  in  the  heart  of 


My  Lord   Bag  of  Rice.  5 

Lake  Biwa.     The  dainty  goldfishes,  red  carp,  and  silvery  trout, 
waited  upon  the  Dragon  King  and  his  guest. 

Hidesato  was  astonished  at  the  feast  that  was  spread  for 
him.  The  dishes  were  crystallised  lotus  leaves  and  flowers, 
and  the  chopsticks  were  of  the  rarest  ebony.  As  soon  as  they 
sat  down,  the  sliding  doors  opened  and  ten  lovely  goldfish 
dancers  came  out,  and  behind  them  followed  ten  red-carp 
musicians  with  the  koto  and  the  samisen.  Thus  the  hours 
flew  by  till  midnight,  and  the  beautiful  music  and  dancing  had 
banished  all  thoughts  of  the  centipede.  The  Dragon  King  was 
about  to  pledge  the  warrior  in  a  fresh  cup  of  wine  when  the 
palace  was  suddenly  shaken  by  a  tramp,  tramp !  as  if  a 
mighty  army  had  begun  to  march  not  far  away. 

Hidesato  and  his  host  both  rose  to  their  feet  and  rushed 
to  the  balcony,  and  the  warrior  saw  on  the  opposite  mountain 
two  great  balls  of  glowing  fire  coming  nearer  and  nearer. 
The  Dragon  King  stood  by  the  warrior's  side  trembling 
with  fear. 

"  The  centipede  !  The  centipede  !  Those  two  balls  of  fire  are 
its  eyes.    It  is  coming  for  its  prey !    Now  is  the  time  to  kill  it." 

Hidesato  looked  where  his  host  pointed,  and,  in  the  dim 
light  of  the  starlit  evening,  behind  the  two  balls  of  fire  he 
saw  the  long  body  of  an  enormous  centipede  winding  round 
the  mountains,  and  the  light  in  its  hundred  feet  glowed  like 
so  many  distant  lanterns  moving  slowly  towards  the  shore. 

Hidesato  showed  not  the  least  sign  of  fear.  He  tried  to 
calm  the  Dragon  King. 

"  Don't  be  afraid.  I  shall  surely  kill  the  centipede.  Just 
bring  me  my  bow  and  arrows." 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


Hidesato   took  another  Arrow. 


My  Lord  Bag  of  Rice.  7 

The  Dragon  King  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  the  warrior 
noticed  that  he  had  only  three  arrows  left  in  his  quiver.  He 
took  the  bow,  and  fitting  an  arrow  to  the  notch,  took  careful 
aim  and  let  fly. 

The  arrow  hit  the  centipede  right  in  the  middle  of  its  head, 
but  instead  of  penetrating,  it  glanced  off  harmless  and  fell  to 
the  ground. 

Nothing  daunted,  Hidesato  took  another  arrow,  fitted 
it  to  the  notch  of  the  bow  and  let  fly.  Again  the  arrow 
hit  the  mark,  it  struck  the  centipede  right  in  the  middle 
of  its  head,  only  to  glance  off  and  fall  to  the  ground.  The 
centipede  was  invulnerable  to  weapons  !  When  the  Dragon 
King  saw  that  even  this  brave  warrior's  arrows  were  power- 
less to  kill  the  centipede,  he  lost  heart  and  began  to  tremble 
with  fear. 

The  warrior  saw  that  he  had  now  only  one  arrow  left  in  his 
quiver,  and  if  this  one  failed  he  could  not  kill  the  centipede. 
He  looked  across  the  waters.  The  huge  reptile  had  wound  its 
horrid  body  seven  times  round  the  mountain  and  would  soon 
come  down  to  the  lake.  Nearer  and  nearer  gleamed  the  fire- 
balls of  eyes,  and  the  light  of  its  hundred  feet  began  to  throw 
reflections  in  the  still  waters  of  the  lake. 

Then  suddenly  the  warrior  remembered  that  he  had  heard 
that  human  saliva  was  deadly  to  centipedes.  But  this  was  no 
ordinary  centipede.  This  was  so  monstrous  that  even  to  think 
of  such  a  creature  made  one  creep  with  horror.  Hidesato 
determined  to  try  his  last  chance.  So  taking  his  last  arrow 
and  first  putting  the  end  of  it  in  his  mouth,  he  fitted  the  notch  to 
his  bow,  took  careful  aim  once  more  and  let  fly. 


8',  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

This  time  the  arrow  again  hit  the  centipede  right  in  the 
middle  of  its  head,  but  instead  of  glancing  off  harmlessly  as 
before,  it  struck  home  to  the  creature's  brain.  Then  with  a 
convulsive  shudder  the  serpentine  body  stopped  moving,  and 
the  fiery  light  of  its  great  eyes  and  hundred  feet  darkened  to 
a  dull  glare  like  the  sunset  of  a  stormy  day,  and  then  went  out 
in  blackness.  A  great  darkness  now  overspread  the  heavens, 
the  thunder  rolled  and  the  lightning  flashed,  and  the  wind 
roared  in  fury,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  world  were  coming 
to  an  end.  The  Dragon  King  and  his  children  and  retainers 
all  crouched  in  different  parts  of  the  palace,  frightened  to  death, 
for  the  building  was  shaken  to  its  foundations.  At  last  the 
dreadful  night  was  over.  Day  dawned  beautiful  and  clear. 
The  centipede  was  gone  from  the  mountain. 

Then  Hidesato  called  to  the  Dragon  King  to  come  out 
with  him  on  the  balcony,  for  the  centipede  was  dead  and  he 
had  nothing  more  to  fear. 

Then  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  palace  came  out  with  joy, 
and  Hidesato  pointed  to  the  lake.  There  lay  the  body  of  the 
dead  centipede  floating  on  the  water,  which  was  dyed  red  with 
its  blood. 

The  gratitude  of  the  Dragon  King  knew  no  bounds.  The 
whole  family  came  and  bowed  down  before  the  warrior,  calling 
him  their  preserver  and  the  bravest  warrior  in  all  Japan. 

Another  feast  was  prepared,  more  sumptuous  than  the  first. 
All  kinds  of  fish,  prepared  in  every  imaginable  way,  raw,  stewed, 
boiled  and  roasted,  served  on  coral  trays  and  crystal  dishes, 
were  put  before  him,  and  the  wine  was  the  best  that  Hidesato 
had  ever  tasted  in  his  life.    To  add  to  the  beauty  of  everything 


My  Lord  Bag  of  Rice,  9 

the  sun  shone  brightly,  the  lake  glittered  like  a  liquid  diamond, 
and  the  palace  was  a  thousand  times  more  beautiful  by  day 
than  by  night. 

His  host  tried  to  persuade  the  warrior  to  stay  a  few  days, 
but  Hidesato  insisted  on  going  home,  saying  that  he  had 
now  finished  what  he  had  come  to  do,  and  must  return.  The 
Dragon  King  and  his  family  were  all  very  sorry  to  have  him 
leave  so  soon,  but  since  he  would  go  they  begged  him  to  accept 
a  few  small  presents  (so  they  said)  in  token  of  their  gratitude 
to  him  for  delivering  them  for  ever  from  their  horrible  enemy 
the  centipede. 

As  the  warrior  stood  in  the  porch  taking  leave,  a  train  ot 
fish  was  suddenly  transformed  into  a  retinue  of  men,  all  wearing 
ceremonial  robes  and  dragon's  crowns  on  their  heads  to  show 
that  they  were  servants  of  the  great  Dragon  King.  The 
presents  that  they  carried  were  as  follows : 

First,  a  large  bronze  bell. 

Second,  a  bag  of  rice. 

Third,  a  roll  of  silk. 

Fourth,  a  cooking  pot. 

Fifth,  a  bell. 
Hidesato  did  not  want  to  accept  all  these  presents,  but  as 
the  Dragon  King  insisted,  he  could  not  well  refuse. 

The  Dragon  King  himself  accompanied  the  warrior  as  far 
as  the  bridge,  and  then  took  leave  of  him  with  many  bows  and 
good  wishes,  leaving  the  procession  of  servants  to  accompany 
Hidesato  to  his  house  with  the  presents. 

The  warrior's  household  and  servants  had  been  very  much 
concerned  when  they  found  that  he  did  not  return  the  night 


IO 


Japanese   Fairy  Book. 


before,  but  they  finally  concluded  that  he  had  been  kept  by  the 
violent  storm  and  had  taken  shelter  somewhere.     When  the 


The  Procession. 


servants  on  the  watch  for  his  return  caught  sight  of  him  they 
called  to  everyone  that  he  was  approaching,  and  the  whole 
household  turned  out  to  meet  him,  wondering  much  what  the 


My  Lord  Bag  of  Rice.  1 1 

retinue  of  men,  bearing  presents  and  banners,  that  followed 
him,  could  mean. 

As  soon  as  the  Dragon  King's  retainers  had  put  down 
the  presents  they  vanished,  and  Hidesato  told  all  that  had 
happened  to  him. 

The  presents  which  he  had  received  from  the  grateful 
Dragon  King  were  found  to  be  of  magic  power.  The  bell 
only  was  ordinary,  and  as  Hidesato  had  no  use  for  it  he 
presented  it  to  the  temple  near  by,  where  it  was  hung 
up,  to  boom  out  the  hour  of  day  over  the  surrounding 
neighbourhood. 

The  single  bag  of  rice,  however  much  was  taken  from  it 
day  after  day  for  the  meals  of  the  knight  and  his  whole  family, 
never  grew  less — the  supply  in  the  bag  was  inexhaustible. 

The  roll  of  silk,  too,  never  grew  shorter,  though  time  after 
time  long  pieces  were  cut  off  to  make  the  warrior  a  new  suit  ol 
clothes  to  go  to  Court  in  at  the  New  Year. 

The  cooking  pot  was  wonderful,  too.  No  matter  what  was 
put  into  it,  it  cooked  deliciously  whatever  was  wanted  without 
any  firing — truly  a  very  economical  saucepan. 

The  fame  of  Hidesato's  fortune  spread  far  and  wide,  and 
as  there  was  no  need  for  him  to  spend  money  on  rice  or  silk  or 
firing,  he  became  very  rich  and  prosperous,  and  was  henceforth 
known  as  My  Lord  Bag  of  Rice. 


(       12      ) 


THE    TONGUE-CUT    SPARROW. 

Long,  long  ago  in  Japan  there  lived  an  old  man  and  his  wife. 
The  old  man  was  a  good,  kind-hearted,  hard-working  old 
fellow,  but  his  wife  was  a  regular  cross-patch,  who  spoilt  the 
happiness  of  her  home  by  her  scolding  tongue.  She  was 
always  grumbling  about  something  from  morning  to  night. 
The  old  man  had  for  a  long  time  ceased  to  take  any  notice 
of  her  crossness.  He  was  out  most  of  the  day  at  work  in  the 
fields,  and  as  he  had  no  child,  for  his  amusement  when  he 
came  home,  he  kept  a  tame  sparrow.  He  loved  the  little  bird 
just  as  much  as  if  she  had  been  his  child. 

When  he  came  back  at  night  after  his  hard  day's  work  in 
the  open  air  it  was  his  only  pleasure  to  pet  the  sparrow,  to 
talk  to  her  and  to  teach  her  little  tricks,  which  she  learned 
very  quickly.  The  old  man  would  open  her  cage  and  let  her 
fly  about  the  room,  and  they  would  play  together.  Then 
when  supper-time  came,  he  always  saved  some  tit-bits  from 
his  meal  with  which  to  feed  his  little  bird. 

Now  one  day  the  old  man  went  out  to  chop  wood  in  the 
forest,  and  the  old  woman  stopped  at  home  to  wash  clothes. 
The  day  before,  she  had  made  some  starch,  and  now  when  she 
came  to  look  for  it,  it  was  all  gone ;  the  bowl  which  she  had 
filled  full  yesterday  was  quite  empty. 

While  she  was  wondering  who  could  have  used  or  stolen 


The  Tongue-cut  Sparrow.  13 

the  starch,  down  flew  the  pet  sparrow,  and  bowing  her  little 
feathered  head — a  trick  which  she  had  been  taught  by  her 
master — the  pretty  bird  chirped  and  said  : 

"  It  is  I  who  have  taken  the  starch.  I  thought  it  was 
some  food  put  out  for  me  in  that  basin,  and  I  ate  it  all.  If  I 
have  made  a  mistake  I  beg  you  to  forgive  me  !  tweet,  tweet, 
tweet!" 

You  see  from  this  that  the  sparrow  was  a  truthful  bird, 
and  the  old  woman  ought  to  have  been  willing  to  forgive 
her  at  once  when  she  asked  her  pardon  so  nicely.  But 
not  so. 

The  old  woman  had  never  loved  the  sparrow,  and  had  often 
quarrelled  with  her  husband  for  keeping  what  she  called  a 
dirty  bird  about  the  house,  saying  that  it  only  made  extra 
work  for  her.  Now  she  was  only  too  delighted  to  have  some 
cause  of  complaint  against  the  pet.  She  scolded  and  even 
cursed  the  poor  little  bird  for  her  bad  behaviour,  and  not 
content  with  using  these  harsh,  unfeeling  words,  in  a  fit  of 
rage  she  seized  the  sparrow — who  all  this  time  had  spread  out 
her  wings  and  bowed  her  head  before  the  old  woman,  to  show 
how  sorry  she  was — and  fetched  the  scissors  and  cut  off  the 
poor  little  bird's  tongue. 

"  I  suppose  you  took  my  starch  with  that  tongue  !  Now 
you  may  see  what  it  is  like  to  go  without  it  !  "  And  with 
these  dreadful  words  she  drove  the  bird  away,  not  caring  in 
the  least  what  might  happen  to  it  and  without  the  smallest 
pity  for  its  suffering,  so  unkind  was  she  ! 

The  old  woman,  after  she  had  driven  the  sparrow  away, 
made   some   more    rice-paste,   grumbling    all  the  time  at  the 


„41-^  y^^S^^g^X  1        MOV 

Hfti'  r~ 


And  with  these  Dreadful  Words  she  drove  the  Bird  away. 


The  Tongue-cut  Sparrow.  15 

trouble,  and  after  starching  all  her  clothes,  spread  the  things 
on  boards  to  dry  in  the  sun,  instead  of  ironing  them  as  they 
do  in  England. 

In  the  evening  the  old  man  came  home.  As  usual,  on  the 
way  back  he  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  he  should  reach 
his  gate  and  see  his  pet  come  flying  and  chirping  to  meet  him, 
ruffling  out  her  feathers  to  show  her  joy,  and  at  last  coming  to 
rest  on  his  shoulder.  But  to-night  the  old  man  was  very 
disappointed,  for  not  even  the  shadow  of  his  dear  sparrow  was 
to  be  seen. 

He  quickened  his  steps,  hastily  drew  off  his  straw  sandals, 
and  stepped  on  to  the  verandah.  Still  no  sparrow  was  to  be 
seen.  He  now  felt  sure  that  his  wife,  in  one  of  her  cross 
tempers,  had  shut  the  sparrow  up  in  its  cage.  So  he  called 
her  and  said  anxiously  : 

"  Where  is  Sozume  San  (Miss  Sparrow)  to-day  ?  " 

The  old  woman  pretended  not  to  know  at  first,  and 
answered : 

"Your  sparrow?  I  am  sure  I  don't  know.  Now  I  come 
to  think  of  it,  I  haven't  seen  her  all  the  afternoon.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  the  ungrateful  bird  had  flown  away  and  left  you 
after  all  your  petting !  " 

But  at  last,  when  the  old  man  gave  her  no  peace,  but 
asked  her  again  and  again,  insisting  that  she  must  know  what 
had  happened  to  his  pet,  she  confessed  all.  She  told  him 
crossly  how  the  sparrow  had  eaten  the  rice-paste  she  had 
specially  made  for  starching  her  clothes,  and  how  when  the 
sparrow  had  confessed  to  what  she  had  done,  in  great  anger 
she  had  taken  her  scissors  and  cut  out  her  tongue,   and  how 


1 6  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

finally  she  had  driven  the  bird  away  and  forbidden  her  to 
return  to  the  house  again. 

Then  the  old  woman  showed  her  husband  the  sparrow's 
tongue,  saying: 

"  Here  is  the  tongue  I  cut  off!  Horrid  little  bird,  why  did 
it  eat  all  my  starch  ?  " 

"  How  could  you  be  so  cruel?  Oh  !  how  could  you  be  so 
cruel  ?  "  was  all  that  the  old  man  could  answer.  He  was  too 
kind-hearted  to  punish  his  shrew  of  a  wife,  but  he  was  terribly 
distressed  at  what  had  happened  to  his  poor  little  sparrow. 

"  What  a  dreadful  misfortune  for  my  poor  Suzume  San  to 
lose  her  tongue  !  "  he  said  to  himself.  "  She  won't  be  able  to 
chirp  any  more,  and  surely  the  pain  of  the  cutting  of  it  out  in 
that  rough  way  must  have  made  her  ill  !  Is  there  nothing  to 
be  done  ?  " 

The  old  man  shed  many  tears  after  his  cross  wife  had  gone 
to  sleep.  While  he  wiped  away  the  tears  with  the  sleeve  of 
his  cotton  robe,  a  bright  thought  comforted  him:  he  would  go 
and  look  for  the  sparrow  on  the  morrow.  Having  decided  this 
he  was  able  to  go  to  sleep  at  last. 

The  next  morning  he  rose  early,  as  soon  as  ever  the  day 
broke,  and  snatching  a  hasty  breakfast,  started  out  over  the 
hills  and  through  the  woods,  stopping  at  every  clump  of 
bamboos  to  cry : 

"Where,  oh  where  does  my  tongue-cut  sparrow  stay? 
Where,  oh  where,  does  my  tongue-cut  sparrow  stay  ?  " 

He  never  stopped  to  rest  for  his  noonday  meal,  and  it  was 
far  on  in  the  afternoon  when  he  found  himself  near  a  large 
bamboo  wood.     Bamboo  groves   are  the  favourite  haunts  of 


The  Tongue-cut  Sparrow.  17 

sparrows,  and  there  sure  enough  at  the  edge  of  the  wood  he 
saw  his  own  dear  sparrow  waiting  to  welcome  him.  He  could 
hardly  believe  his  eyes  for  joy,  and  ran  forward  quickly  to  greet 
her.  She  bowed  her  little  head  and  went  through  a  number 
of  the  tricks  her  master  had  taught  her,  to  show  her  pleasure 
at  seeing  her  old  friend  again,  and,  wonderful  to  relate,  she 
could  talk  as  of  old.  The  old  man  told  her  how  sorry  he  was 
for  all  that  had  happened,  and  inquired  after  her  tongue, 
wondering  how  she  could  speak  so  well  without  it.  Then  the 
sparrow  opened  her  beak  and  showed  him  that  a  new  tongue 
had  grown  in  place  of  the  old  one,  and  begged  him  not  to 
think  any  more  about  the  past,  for  she  was  quite  well  now. 
Then  the  old  man  knew  that  his  sparrow  was  a  fairy,  and 
no  common  bird.  It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  the 
old  man's  rejoicing  now.  He  forgot  all  his  troubles,  he 
forgot  even  how  tired  he  was,  for  he  had  found  his  lost 
sparrow,  and  instead  of  being  ill  and  without  a  tongue  as 
he  had  feared  and  expected  to  find  her,  she  was  well  and 
happy  and  with  a  new  tongue,  and  without  a  sign  of  the 
ill-treatment  she  had  received  from  his  wife.  And  above 
all  she  was  a  fairy. 

The  sparrow  asked  him  to  follow  her,  and  flying  before 
him  she  led  him  to  a  beautiful  house  in  the  heart  of  the 
bamboo  grove.  The  old  man  was  utterly  astonished  when 
he  entered  the  house  to  find  what  a  beautiful  place  it  was 
It  was  built  of  the  whitest  wood,  the  soft  cream-coloured 
mats  which  took  the  place  of  carpets  were  the  finest  he 
had  ever  seen,  and  the  cushions  that  the  sparrow  brought 
out  for  him  to  sit  on  were  made  of  the  finest  silk  and 
f.b.  c 


i8 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


crape.       Beautiful    vases    and    lacquer    boxes    adorned    the 
tokonoma '  of  every  room. 

The  sparrow  led  the  old  man  to  the  place  of  honour,  and 
then,  taking  her  place  at  a  humble  distance,  she  thanked  him 


The  Lady  Sparrow  introduced  all  her  Family, 

with  many  polite  bows  for  all  the  kindness  he  had  shown  her 
for  many  long  years. 

Then  the  Lady  Sparrow,  as  we  will  now  call  her,  introduced 
all  her  family,  to  the  old  man.  This  done,  her  daughters,  robed  in 
dainty  crape  gowns,  brought  in  on  beautiful  old-fashioned  trays 
a  feast  of  all  kinds  of  delicious  foods,  till  the  old  man  began  to 

1  An  alcove  where  precious  objects  are  displayed. 


The  Tongue-cut  Sparrow.  19 

think  he  must  be  dreaming.  In  the  middle  of  the  dinner  some  of 
the  sparrow's  daughters  performed  a  wonderful  dance,  called  the 
"  Suzume-odori  "  or  the  "  Sparrow's  dance,"  to  amuse  the  guest. 

Never  had  the  old  man  enjoyed  himself  so  much.  The 
hours  flew  by  too  quickly  in  this  lovely  spot,  with  all  these 
fairy  sparrows  to  wait  upon  him  and  to  feast  him  and  to  dance 
before  him. 

But  the  night  came  on  and  the  darkness  reminded  him  that 
he  had  a  long  way  to  go  and  must  think  about  taking  his  leave 
and  return  home.  He  thanked  his  kind  hostess  for  her  splendid 
entertainment,  and  begged  her  for  his  sake  to  forget  all  she  had 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  his  cross  old  wife.  He  told  the  Lady 
Sparrow  that  it  was  a  great  comfort  and  happiness  to  him  to 
find  her  in  such  a  beautiful  home  and  to  know  that  she  wanted 
for  nothing.  It  was  his  anxiety  to  know  how  she  fared  and 
what  had  really  happened  to  her  that  had  led  him  to  seek  her. 
Now  he  knew  that  all  was  well  he  could  return  home  with  a 
light  heart.  If  ever  she  wanted  him  for  anything  she  had 
only  to  send  for  him  and  he  would  come  at  once. 

The  Lady  Sparrow  begged  him  to  stay  and  rest  several 
days  and  enjoy  the  change,  but  the  old  man  said  that  he  must 
return  to  his  old  wife — who  would  probably  be  cross  at  his  not 
coming  home  at  the  usual  time — and  to  his  work,  and  therefore, 
much  as  he  wished  to  do  so,  he  could  not  accept  her  kind 
invitation.  But  now  that  he  knew  where  the  Lady  Sparrow 
lived  he  would  come  to  see  her  whenever  he  had  the  time. 

When  the  Lady  Sparrow  saw  that  she  could  not  persuade 
the  old  man  to  stay  longer,  she  gave  an  order  to  some  of  her 
servants,  and  they  at  once  brought  in  two  boxes,  one  large  and 

c  2 


20  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

the  other  small.  These  were  placed  before  the  old  man,  and 
the  Lady  Sparrow  asked  him  to  choose  whichever  he  liked 
for  a  present,  which  she  wished  to  give  him. 

The  old  man  could  not  refuse  this  kind  proposal,  and  he 
chose  the  smaller  box,  saying : 

"  I  am  now  too  old  and  feeble  to  carry  the  big  and  heavy 
box.  As  you  are  so  kind  as  to  say  that  I  may  take  whichever 
I  like,  I  will  choose  the  small  one,  which  will  be  easier  for  me 
to  carry." 

Then  the  sparrows  all  helped  him  put  it  on  his  back  and 
went  to  the  gate  to  see  him  off,  bidding  him  good-bye  with 
many  bows  and  entreating  him  to  come  again  whenever  he  had 
the  time.  Thus  the  old  man  and  his  pet  sparrow  separated 
quite  happily,  the  sparrow  showing  not  the  least  ill-will  for  all 
the  unkindness  she  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  old  wife. 
Indeed,  she  only  felt  sorrow  for  the  old  man  who  had  to  put 
up  with  it  all  his  life. 

When  the  old  man  reached  home  he  found  his  wife  even 
crosser  than  usual,  for  it  was  late  on  in  the  night  and  she  had 
been  waiting  up  for  him  for  a  long  time. 

"  Where  have  you  been  all  this  time  ?  "  she  asked  in  a  big 
voice.     "  Why  do  you  come  back  so  late  ?  " 

The  old  man  tried  to  pacify  her  by  showing  her  the  box  of 
presents  he  had  brought  back  with  him,  and  then  he  told  her 
of  all  that  had  happened  to  him,  and  how  wonderfully  he  had 
been  entertained  at  the  sparrow's  house. 

'.'  Now  let  us  see  what  is  in  the  box,"  said  the  old  man,  not 
giving  her  time  to  grumble  again.  "  You  must  help  me  open 
it."    And  they  both  sat  down  before  the  box  and  opened  it. 


The  Tongue-cut  Sparrow.  21 

To  their  utter  astonishment  they  found  the  box  filled  to  the 
brim  with  gold  and  silver  coins  and  many  other  precious  things. 
The  mats  of  their  little  cottage  fairly  glittered  as  they  took  out 
the  things  one  by  one  and  put  them  down  and  handled  them 
over  and  over  again.  The  old  man  was  overjoyed  at  the  sight 
of  the  riches  that  were  now  his.  Beyond  his  brightest  expecta- 
tions was  the  sparrow's  gift,  which  would  enable  him  to  give  up 
work  and  live  in  ease  and  comfort  the  rest  of  his  days. 

He  said  :  "  Thanks  to  my  good  little  sparrow  !  Thanks  to 
my  good  little  sparrow !  "  many  times. 

But  the  old  woman,  after  the  first  moments  of  surprise  and 
satisfaction  at  the  sight  of  the  gold  and  silver  were  over,  could 
not  suppress  the  greed  of  her  wicked  nature.  She  now  began 
to  reproach  the  old  man  for  not  having  brought  home  the  big 
box  of  presents,  for  in  the  innocence  of  his  heart  he  had  told 
her  how  he  had  refused  the  large  box  of  presents  which  the 
sparrows  had  offered  him,  preferring  the  smaller  one  because  it 
was  light  and  easy  to  carry  home. 

"You  silly  old  man,"  said  she,  "  why  did  you  not  bring  the 
large  box?  Just  think  what  we  have  lost.  We  might  have  had 
twice  as  much  silver  and  gold  as  this.  You  are  certainly  an 
old  fool !"  she  screamed,  and  then  went  to  bed  as  angry  as  she 
could  be. 

The  old  man  now  wished  that  he  had  said  nothing  about 
the  big  box,  but  it  was  too  late  ;  the  greedy  old  woman,  not 
contented  with  the  good  luck  which  had  so  unexpectedly 
befallen  them  and  which  she  so  little  deserved,  made  up  her 
mind,  if  possible,  to  get  more. 

Early  the  next  morning  she  got  up  and  made  the  old  man 


22  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

describe  the  way  to  the  sparrow's  house.  When  he  saw  what 
was  in  her  mind  he  tried  to  keep  her  from  going,  but  it  was 
useless.  She  would  not  listen  to  one  word  he  said.  It  is 
strange  that  the  old  woman  did  not  feel  ashamed  of  going  to 
see  the  sparrow  after  the  cruel  way  she  had  treated  her  in 
cutting  off  her  tongue  in  a  fit  of  rage.  But  her  greed  to  get  the 
big  box  made  her  forget  everything  else.  It  did  not  even  enter 
her  thoughts  that  the  sparrows  might  be  angry  with  her — as, 
indeed,  they  were — and  might  punish  her  for  what  she  had  done. 

Ever  since  the  Lady  Sparrow  had  returned  home  in  the  sad 
plight  in  which  they  had  first  found  her,  weeping  and  bleeding 
from  the  mouth,  her  whole  family  and  relations  had  done  little 
else  but  speak  of  the  cruelty  of  the  old  woman.  "  How  could 
she,"  they  asked  each  other,  "  inflict  such  a  heavy  punishment 
for  such  a  trifling  offence  as  that  of  eating  some  rice-paste  by 
mistake  ?"  They  all  loved  the  old  man  who  was  so  kind  and 
good  and  patient  under  all  his  troubles,  but  the  old  woman  they 
hated,  and  they  determined,  if  ever  they  had  the  chance,  to 
punish  her  as  she  deserved.     They  had  not  long  to  wait. 

After  walking  for  some  hours  the  old  woman  had  at  last 
found  the  bamboo  grove  which  she  had  made  her  husband 
carefully  describe,  and  now  she  stood  before  it  crying  out : 

"  Where  is  the  tongue-cut  sparrow's  house  ?  Where  is  the 
tongue-cut  sparrow's  house  ?  " 

At  last  she  saw  the  eaves  of  the  house  peeping  out  from 
amongst  the  bamboo  foliage.  She  hastened  to  the  door  and 
knocked  loudly. 

When  the  servants  told  the  Lady  Sparrow  that  her  old 
mistress  was  at  the  door  asking  to  see  her,  she  was  somewhat 


The  Tongue-cut  Sparrow.  23 

surprised  at  the  unexpected  visit,  after  all  that  had  taken  place, 
and  she  wondered  not  a  little  at  the  boldness  of  the  old  woman 
in  venturing  to  come  to  the  house.  The  Lady  Sparrow, 
however,  was  a  polite  bird,  and  so  she  went  out  to  greet  the  old 
woman,  remembering  that  she  had  once  been  her  mistress. 

The  old  woman  intended,  however,  to  waste  no  time  in 
words,  she  went  right  to  the  point,  without  the  least  shame, 
and  said  : 

"  You  need  not  trouble  to  entertain  me  as  you  did  my  old 
man.  I  have  come  myself  to  get  the  box  which  he  so  stupidly 
left  behind.  I  shall  soon  take  my  leave  if  you  will  give  me  the 
big  box — that  is  all  I  want  !  " 

The  Lady  Sparrow  at  once  consented,  and  told  her  servants 
to  bring  out  the  big  box.  The  old  woman  eagerly  seized  it  and 
hoisted  it  on  her  back,  and  without  even  stopping  to  thank  the 
Lady  Sparrow  began  to  hurry  homewards. 

The  box  was  so  heavy  that  she  could  not  walk  fast,  much 
less  run,  as  she  would  have  liked  to  do,  so  anxious  was  she  to 
get  home  and  see  what  was  inside  the  box,  but  she  had  often 
to  sit  down  and  rest  herself  by  the  way. 

While  she  was  staggering  along  under  the  heavy  load,  her 
desire  to  open  the  box  became  too  great  to  be  resisted.  She 
could  wait  no  longer,  for  she  supposed  this  big  box  to  be  full 
of  gold  and  silver  and  precious  jewels  like  the  small  one 
her  husband  had  received. 

At  last  this  greedy  and  selfish  old  woman  put  down  the  box 
by  the  wayside  and  opened  it  carefully,  expecting  to  gloat  her 
eyes  on  a  mine  of  wealth.  What  she  saw,  however,  so  terrified 
her  that  she  nearly  lost  her  senses.     As  soon  as  she  lifted  the 


24 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


The  Old  Woman  had  never  been  so  Frightened  in  her  Life. 


The  Tongue-cut  Sparrow.  25 

lid,  a  number  of  horrible  and  frightful  looking  demons  bounced 
out  of  the  box  and  surrounded  her  as  if  they  intended  to  kill 
her.  Not  even  in  nightmares  had  she  ever  seen  such  horrible 
creatures  as  her  much-coveted  box  contained.  A  demon  with 
one  huge  eye  right  in  the  middle  of  its  forehead  came  and 
glared  at  her,  monsters  with  gaping  mouths  looked  as  if  they 
would  devour  her,  a  huge  snake  coiled  and  hissed  about  her, 
and  a  big  frog  hopped  and  croaked  towards  her. 

The  old  woman  had  never  been  so  frightened  in  her  life, 
and  ran  from  the  spot  as  fast  as  her  quaking  legs  would  carry 
her,  glad  to  escape  alive.  When  she  reached  home  she  fell  to 
the  floor  and  told  her  husband  with  tears  all  that  had  happened 
to  her,  and  how  she  had  been  nearly  killed  by  the  demons  in 
the  box. 

Then  she  began  to  blame  the  sparrow,  but  the  old  man 
stopped  her  at  once,  saying : 

"  Don't  blame  the  sparrow,  it  is  your  wickedness  which  has 
at  last  met  with  its  reward.  I  only  hope  this  may  be  a  lesson 
to  you  in  the  future  !  " 

The  old  woman  said  nothing  more,  and  from  that  day  she 
repented  of  her  cross,  unkind  ways,  and  by  degrees  became  a 
good  old  woman,  so  that  her  husband  hardly  knew  her  to  be 
the  same  person,  and  they  spent  their  last  days  together  happily, 
free  from  want  or  care,  spending  carefully  the  treasure  the  old 
man  had  received  from  his  pet,  the  tongue-cut  sparrow. 


(      26      ) 


THE  STORY  OF  URASHIMA  TARO,  THE 
FISHER  LAD. 

Long,  long  ago  in  the  province  of  Tango  there  lived  on 
the  shore  of  Japan  in  the  little  fishing  village  of  Mizu-no-ye  a 
young  fisherman  named  Urashima  Taro.  His  father  had 
been  a  fisherman  before  him,  and  his  skill  had  more  than 
doubly  descended  to"  his  son,  for  Urashima  was  the  most 
skilful  fisher  in  all  that  country  side,  and  could  catch  more 
bonito  and  tai  in  a  day  than  his  comrades  could  in  a  week. 

But  in  the  little  fishing  village,  more  than  for  being  a  clever 
fisher  of  the  sea  was  he  known  for  his  kind  heart.  In  his  whole 
life  he  had  never  hurt  anything,  either  great  or  small,  and  when 
a  boy,  his  companions  had  always  laughed  at  him,  for  he  would 
never  join  with  them  in  teasing  animals,  but  always  tried  to  keep 
them  from  this  cruel  sport. 

One  soft  summer  twilight  he  was  going  home  at  the  end  of 
a  day's  fishing  when  he  came  upon  a  group  of  children.  They 
were  all  screaming  and  talking  at  the  tops  of  their  voices,  and 
seemed  to  be  in  a  state  of  great  excitement  about  something, 
and  on  his  going  up  to  them  to  see  what  was  the  matter  he 
saw  that  they  were  tormenting  a  tortoise.  First  one  boy  pulled 
it  this  way,  then  another  boy  pulled  it  that  way,  while  a  third 
child  beat  it  with  a  stick,  and  the  fourth  hammered  its  shell 
with  a  stone. 


The  Story  of  Urashima  Taro,  the  Fisher  Lad.     27 

Now  Urashima  felt  very  sorry  for  the  poor  tortoise  and 
made  up  his  mind  to  rescue  it.     He  spoke  to  the  boys  : 

"  Look  here,  boys,  you  are  treating  that  poor  tortoise  so 
badly  that  it  will  soon  die  !  " 

The  boys,  who  were  all  of  an  age  when  children  seem  to 
delight  in  being  cruel  to  animals,  took  no  notice  of  Urashima's 
gentle  reproof,  but  went  on  teasing  it  as  before.  One  of  the 
older  boys  answered : 

"Who  cares  whether  it  lives  or  dies  ?  We  do  not.  Here, 
boys,  go  on,  go  on  !  " 

And  they  began  to  treat  the  poor  tortoise  more  cruelly  than 
ever.  Urashima  waited  a  moment,  turning  over  in  his  mind 
what  would  be  the  best  way  to  deal  with  the  boys.  He  would 
try  to  persuade  them  to  give  the  tortoise  up  to  him,  so  he  smiled 
at  them  and  said : 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  all  good,  kind  boys  !  Now  won't  you 
give  me  the  tortoise  ?     I  should  like  to  have  it  so  much  !  " 

"  No,  we  won't  give  you  the  tortoise,"  said  one  of  the  boys. 
"  Why  should  we  ?     We  caught  it  ourselves." 

"What  you  say  is  true,"  said  Urashima,  "  but  I  do  not  ask 
you  to  give  it  to  me  for  nothing.  I  will  give  you  some  money 
for  it— in  other  words,  the  Ojisan  (Uncle)  will  buy  it  of  you. 
Won't  that  do  for  you,  my  boys  ?  "  He  held  up  the  money  to 
them,  strung  on  a  piece  of  string  through  a  hole  in  the  centre 
of  each  coin.  "Look,  boys,  you  can  buy  anything  you  like 
with  this  money.  You  can  do  much  more  with  this  money 
than  you  can  with  that  poor  tortoise.  See  what  good  boys  you 
are  to  listen  to  me." 

The    boys   were    not   bad    boys    at    all,    they    were    only 


28  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

mischievous,  and  as  Urashima  spoke  they  were  won  by  his 
kind  smile  and  gentle  words  and  began  "  to  be  of  his  spirit," 
as  they  say  in  Japan.  Gradually  they  all  came  up  to  him, 
the  ringleader  of  the  little  band  holding  out  the  tortoise  to 
him. 

"  Very  well,  Ojisan,  we  will  give  you  the  tortoise  if  you  will 
give  us  the  money  1  "  And  Urashima  took  the  tortoise  and  gave 
the  money  to  the  boys,  who,  calling  to  each  other,  scampered 
away  and  were  soon  out  of  sight. 

Then  Urashima  stroked  the  tortoise's  back,  saying  as  he 
did  so  : 

"  Oh,  you  poor  thing!  Poor  thing! — there,  there!  you  are 
safe  now !  They  say  that  a  stork  lives  for  a  thousand  years, 
but  the  tortoise  for  ten  thousand  years.  You  have  the  longest 
life  of  any  creature  in  this  world,  and  you  were  in  great  danger 
of  having  that  precious  life  cut  short  by  those  cruel  boys. 
Luckily  I  was  passing  by  and  saved  you,  and  so  life  is  still 
yours.  Now  I  am  going  to  take  you  back  to  your  home,  the 
sea,  at  once.  Do  not  let  yourself  be  caught  again,  for  there 
might  be  no  one  to  save  you  next  time !  " 

All  the  time  that  the  kind  fisherman  was  speaking  he  was 
walking  quickly  to  the  shore  and  out  upon  the  rocks  ;  then 
putting  the  tortoise  into  the  water  he  watched  the  animal  dis- 
appear, and  turned  homewards  himself,  for  he  was  tired  and 
the  sun  had  set. 

The  next  morning  Urashima  went  out  as  usual  in  his  boat. 
The  weather  was  fine  and  the  sea  and  sky  were  both  blue  and 
soft  in  the  tender  haze  of  the  summer  morning.  Urashima  got 
into  his  boat  and  dreamily  pushed  out  to  sea,  throwing  his  line 


The  Story  of  Urashima  Taro,  the  Fisher  Lad.     29 

as  he  did  so.  He  soon  passed  the  other  fishing  boats  and  left 
them  behind  him  till  they  were  lost  to  sight  in  the  distance,  and 
his  boat  drifted  further  and  further  out  upon  the  blue  waters. 
Somehow,  he  knew  not  why,  he  felt  unusually  happy  that 
morning;  and  he  could  not  help  wishing  that,  like  the  tortoise 
he  set  free  the  day  before,  he  had  thousands  of  years  to  live 
instead  of  his  own  short  span  of  human  life. 

He  was  suddenly  startled  from  his  reverie  by  hearing  his 
own  name  called  : 

"  Urashima,  Urashima  !  " 

Clear  as  a  bell  and  soft  as  the  summer  wind  the  name  floated 
over  the  sea. 

He  stood  up  and  looked  in  every  direction,  thinking  that  one 
of  the  other  boats  had  overtaken  him,  but  gaze  as  he  might 
over  the  wide  expanse  of  water,  near  or  far  there  was  no  sign 
of  a  boat,  so  the  voice  could  not  have  come  from  any  human 
being. 

Startled,  and  wondering  who  or  what  it  was  that  had  called 
him  so  clearly,  he  looked  in  all  directions  round  about  him  and 
saw  that  without  his  knowing  it  a  tortoise  had  come  to  the  side 
of  the  boat.  Urashima  saw  with  surprise  that  it  was  the  very 
tortoise  he  had  rescued  the  day  before. 

"Well,  Mr.  Tortoise,"  said  Urashima,  "was  it  you  who 
called  my  name  just  now  ?  " 

The  tortoise  nodded  its  head  several  times,  and  said  : 

"  Yes,  it  was  I.  Yesterday  in  your  honourable  shadow 
(0  kage  sama  de)  my  life  was  saved,  and  I  have  come  to  offer 
you  my  thanks  and  to  tell  you  how  grateful  I  am  for  your 
kindness  to  me." 


30  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"Indeed,"  said  Urashima,  "that  is  very  polite  of  you. 
Come  up  into  the  boat.  I  would  offer  you  a  smoke,  but  as  you 
are  a  tortoise  doubtless  you  do  not  smoke,"  and  the  fisherman 
laughed  at  the  joke. 

"  He — he — he — he  !"  laughed  the  tortoise;  "sake  (rice  wine) 
is  my  favourite  refreshment,  but  I  do  not  care  for  tobacco." 

"  Indeed,"  said  Urashima,  "  I  regret  very  much  that  I 
have  no  '  sake  '  in  my  boat  to  offer  you,  but  come  up  and 
dry  your  back  in  the  sun — tortoises  always  love  to  do  that." 

So  the  tortoise  climbed  into  the  boat,  the  fisherman  help- 
ing him,  and  after  an  exchange  of  complimentary  speeches  the 
tortoise  said  : 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  Rin  Gin,  the  Palace  of  the  Dragon 
King  of  the  Sea,  Urashima  ?" 

The  fisherman  shook  his  head  and  replied :  "  No  ;  year 
after  year  the  sea  has  been  my  home,  but  though  I  have  often 
heard  of  the  Dragon  King's  realm  under  the  sea  I  have  never 
yet  set  eyes  on  that  wonderful  place.  It  must  be  very  far  away, 
if  it  exists  at  all !  " 

"  Is  that  really  so  ?  You  have  never  seen  the  Sea  King's 
Palace  ?  Then  you  have  missed  seeing  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  sights  in  the  whole  universe.  It  is  far  away  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  but  if  I  take  you  there  we  shall  soon  reach 
the  place.  If  you  would  like  to  see  the  Sea  King's  land  I  will 
be  your  guide." 

"  I  should  like  to  go  there,  certainly,  and  you  are  very  kind 
to  think  of  taking  me,  but  you  must  remember  that  I  am  only 
a  poor  mortal  and  have  not  the  power  of  swimming  like  a  sea 
creature  such  as  you  are " 


The  Story  of  Urashima  Taro,  the  Fisher  Lad.     31 

Before  the  fisherman  could  say  more  the  tortoise  stopped 
him,  saying : 

"What?  You  need  not  swim  yourself.  If  )-ou  will  ride  on 
my  back  I  will  take  you  without  any  trouble  on  your  part." 

"  But,"  said  Urashima,  "  how  is  it  possible  for  me  to  ride 
on  your  small  back  ?  " 

"  It  may  seem  absurd  to  you,  but  I  assure  you  that  you  can 
do  so.  Try  at  once!  Just  come  and  get  on  my  back,  and 
see  if  it  is  as  impossible  as  you  think  !  " 

As  the  tortoise  finished  speaking,  Urashima  looked  at  its 
shell,  and  strange  to  say  he  saw  that  the  creature  had  suddenly 
grown  so  big  that  a  man  could  easily  sit  on  its  back. 

"This  is  strange  indeed!"  said  Urashima;  "then,  Mr. 
Tortoise,  with  your  kind  permission  I  will  get  on  your  back. 
Dokoisho  !  "  !  he  exclaimed  as  he  jumped  on. 

The  tortoise,  with  an  unmoved  face,  as  if  this  strange  pro- 
ceeding were  quite  an  ordinary  event,  said  : 

"  Now  we  will  set  out  at  our  leisure,"  and  with  these  words 
he  leapt  into  the  sea  with  Urashima  on  his  back.  Down 
through  the  water  the  tortoise  dived.  For  a  long  time  these 
two  strange  companions  rode  through  the  sea.  Urashima 
never  grew  tired,  nor  his  clothes  moist  with  the  water.  At  last, 
far  away  in  the  distance  a  magnificent  gate  appeared,  and  behind 
the  gate,  the  long,  sloping  roofs  of  a  palace  on  the  horizon. 

"  Ya,"  exclaimed  Urashima,  "that  looks  like  the  gate  of 
some  large  palace  just  appearing  !  Mr.  Tortoise,  can  you  tell 
what  that  place  is  we  can  now  see  ?  " 

"  That  is  the  great  gate  of  the  Rin  Gin  Palace.    The  large 
1  "  All  right  "  (only  used  by  lower  classes). 


32 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


roof  that  you  see  behind  the  gate  is  the  Sea  King's  Palace 
itself." 

"  Then  we  have  at  last  come  to  the  realm  of  the  Sea  King 
and  to  his  Palace,"  said  Urashima. 

"  Yes,  indeed."  answered  the  tortoise,  "  and  don't  you  think 


The  Gate  of  some  large  Palace. 

we  have  come  very  quickly  ?  "  And  while  he  was  speaking  the 
tortoise  reached  the  side  of  the  gate.  "  And  here  we  are,  and 
you  must  please  walk  from  here." 

The  tortoise  now  went  in  front,  and  speaking  to  the  gate- 
keeper said : 

"  This  is  Urashima  Taro,  from  the  country  of  Japan.     I 


The  Story  of  Urashima  Taro,  the  Fisher  Lad.     33 

have  had  the  honour  of  bringing  him  as  a  visitor  to  this 
kingdom.     Please  show  him  the  way." 

Then  the  gatekeeper,  who  was  a  fish,  at  once  led  the  way 
through  the  gate  before  them. 

The  red  bream,  the  flounder,  the  sole,  the  cuttlefish,  and 
all  the  chief  vassals  of  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea  now  came 
out  with  courtly  bows  to  welcome  the  stranger. 

"  Urashima  Sama,  Urashima  Sama !  welcome  to  the  Sea 
Palace,  the  home  of  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea.  Thrice 
welcome  are  you,  having  come  from  such  a  distant  country. 
And  you,  Mr.  Tortoise,  we  are  greatly  indebted  to  you  for  all 
your  trouble  in  bringing  Urashima  here."  Then,  turning 
again  to  Urashima,  they  said,  "  Please  follow  us  this  way," 
and  from  here  the  whole  band  of  fishes  became  his  guides. 

Urashima,  being  only  a  poor  fisher  lad,  did  not  know  how 
to  behave  in  a  palace ;  but,  strange  though  it  all  was  to  him, 
he  did  not  feel  ashamed  or  embarrassed,  but  followed  his  kind 
guides  quite  calmly  where  they  led  to  the  inner  palace.  When 
he  reached  the  portals  a  beautiful  Princess  with  her  attendant 
maidens  came  out  to  welcome  him.  She  was  more  beautiful 
than  any  human  being,  and  was  robed  in  flowing  garments 
of  red  and  soft  green  like  the  under  side  of  a  wave,  and 
golden  threads  glimmered  through  the  folds  of  her  gown.  Her 
lovely  black  hair  streamed  over  her  shoulders  in  the  fashion 
of  a  king's  daughter  many  hundreds  of  years  ago,  and  when 
she  spoke  her  voice  sounded  like  music  over  the  water. 
Urashima  was  lost  in  wonder  while  he  looked  upon  her,  and 
he  could  not  speak.  Then  he  remembered  that  he  ought  to 
bow,  but  before   he  could  make  a  low  obeisance  the  Princess 

F.B.  D 


34  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

took  him  by  the  hand  and  led  him  to  a  beautiful  hall,  and  to 
the  seat  of  honour  at  the  upper  end,  and  bade  him  be  seated. 

"  Urashima  Taro,  it  gives  me  the  highest  pleasure  to 
welcome  you  to  my  father's  kingdom,"  said  the  Princess. 
"  Yesterday  you  set  free  a  tortoise,  and  I  have  sent  for  you  to 
thank  you  for  saving  my  life,  for  I  was  that  tortoise.  Now  if 
you  like  you  shall  live  here  for  ever  in  the  land  of  eternal 
youth,  where  summer  never  dies  and  where  sorrow  never  comes, 
and  I  will  be  your  bride  if  you  will,  and  we  will  live  together 
happily  for  ever  afterwards  !  " 

And  as  Urashima  listened  to  her  sweet  words  and  gazed 
upon  her  lovely  face  his  heart  was  filled  with  a  great  wonder  and 
joy,  and  he  answered  her,  wondering  if  it  was  not  all  a  dream : 

"  Thank  you  a  thousand  times  for  your  kind  speech.  There 
is  nothing  I  could  wish  for  more  than  to  be  permitted  to  stay 
here  with  you  in  this  beautiful  land,  of  which  I  have  often 
heard,  but  have  never  seen  to  this  day.  Beyond  all  words,  this 
is  the  most  wonderful  place  I  have  ever  seen." 

While  he  was  speaking  a  train  of  fishes  appeared,  all 
dressed  in  ceremonial,  trailing  garments.  One  by  one,  silently 
and  with  stately  steps,  they  entered  the  hall,  bearing  on  coral 
trays  delicacies  of  fish  and  seaweed,  such  as  no  one  can  dream 
of,  and  this  wondrous  feast  was  set  before  the  bride  and  bride- 
groom. The  bridal  was  celebrated  with  dazzling  splendour, 
and  in  the  Sea  King's  realm  there  was  great  rejoicing.  As 
soon  as  the  young  pair  had  pledged  themselves  in  the  wedding 
cup  of  wine,  three  times  three,  music  was  played,  and  songs 
were  sung,  and  fishes  with  silver  scales  and  golden  tails 
stepped  in  from  the  waves  and  danced.      Urashima  enjoyed 


J 


i 


' 


V-.  ikCL- 


The  Story  of  Urashima  Taro,  the  Fisher  Lad.     35 

himself  with  all  his  heart.  Never  in  his  whole  life  had  he  sat 
down  to  such  a  marvellous  feast. 

When  the  feast  was  over  the  Princess  asked  the  bride- 
groom if  he  would  like  to  walk  through  the  palace  and  see  all 
there  was  to  be  seen.  Then  the  happy  fisherman,  following 
his  bride,  the  Sea  King's  daughter,  was  shown  all  the  wonders 
of  that  enchanted  land  where  youth  and  joy  go  hand  in  hand 
and  neither  time  nor  age  can  touch  them.  The  palace  was 
built  of  coral  and  adorned  with  pearls,  and  the  beauties  and 
wonders  of  the  place  were  so  great  that  the  tongue  fails  to 
describe  them. 

But,  to  Urashima,  more  wonderful  than  the  palace  was  the 
garden  that  surrounded  it.  Here  was  to  be  seen  at  one  time 
the  scenery  of  the  four  different  seasons  ;  the  beauties  of 
summer  and  winter,  spring  and  autumn,  were  displayed  to  the 
wondering  visitor  at  once. 

First,  when  he  looked  to  the  east,  the  plum  and  cherry 
trees  were  seen  in  full  bloom,  the  nightingales  sang  in  the 
pink  avenues,  and  butterflies  flitted  from  flower  to  flower. 

Looking  to  the  south  all  the  trees  were  green  in  the  fulness 
of  summer,  and  the  day  cicala  and  the  night  cricket  chirruped 
loudly. 

Looking  to  the  west  the  autumn  maples  were  ablaze  like  a 
sunset  sky,  and  the  chrysanthemums  were  in  perfection. 

Looking  to  the  north  the  change  made  Urashima  start,  for 
the  ground  was  silver  white  with  snow,  and  trees  and  bamboos 
were  also  covered  with  snow  and  the  pond  was  thick 
with  ice. 

And   each   day  there  were  new  joys  and  new  wonders  for 

D   2 


36  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Urashima,  and  so  great  was  his  happiness  that  he  forgot 
everything,  even  the  home  he  had  left  behind  and  his  parents 
and  his  own  country,  and  three  days  passed  without  his  even 
thinking  of  all  he  had  left  behind.  Then  his  mind  came 
back  to  him  and  he  remembered  who  he  was,  and  that  he  did 
not  belong  to  this  wonderful  land  or  the  Sea  King's  palace, 
and  he  said  to  himself: 

"  0  dear  !  I  must  not  stay  on  here,  for  I  have  an  old  father 
and  mother  at  home.  What  can  have  happened  to  them  all 
this  time  ?  How  anxious  they  must  have  been  these  days  when 
I  did  not  return  as  usual.  I  must  go  back  at  once  without 
letting  one  more  day  pass."  And  he  began  to  prepare  for  the 
journey  in  great  haste. 

Then  he  went  to  his  beautiful  wife,  the  Princess,  and 
bowing  low  before  her  he  said  : 

"  Indeed,  I  have  been  very  happy  with  you  for  a  long  time, 
Otohime  Sama  "  (for  that  was  her  name),  "  and  you  have  been 
kinder  to  me  than  any  words  can  tell.  But  now  I  must  say 
good-bye.     I  must  go  back  to  my  old  parents." 

Then  Otohime  Sama  began  to  weep,  and  said  softly 
and  sadly : 

"  Is  it  not  well  with  you  here,  Urashima,  that  you  wish  to 
leave  me  so  soon  ?  Where  is  the  haste  ?  Stay  with  me  yet 
another  day  only  !  " 

But  Urashima  had  remembered  his  old  parents,  and  in 
Japan  the  duty  to  parents  is  stronger  than  everything  else, 
stronger  even  than  pleasure  or  love,  and  he  would  not  be 
persuaded,  but  answered : 

"  Indeed,  I  must  go.     Do  not  think  that  I  wish  to  leave 


The  Story  of  Urashima  Taro,  the  Fisher  Lad.     37 

you.  It  is  not  that.  I  must  go  and  see  my  old  parents.  Let 
me  go  for  one  day  and  I  will  come  back  to  you." 

"  Then,"  said  the  Princess  sorrowfully,  "  there  is  nothing 
to  be  done.  I  will  send  you  back  to-day  to  your  father  and 
mother,  and  instead  of  trying  to  keep  you  with  me  one  more 
day,  I  shall  give  you  this  as  a  token  of  our  love — please  take 
it  back  with  you  "  ;  and  she  brought  him  a  beautiful  lacquer  box 
tied  about  with  a  silken  cord  and  tassels  of  red  silk. 

Urashima  had  received  so  much  from  the  Princess  already 
that  he  felt  some  compunction  in  taking  the  gift,  and  said : 

"  It  does  not  seem  right  for  me  to  take  yet  another  gift 
from  you  after  all  the  many  favours  I  have  received  at  your 
hands,  but  because  it  is  your  wish  I  will  do  so,"  and  then 
he  added  : 

"  Tell  me  what  is  this  box  ?  " 

"  That,"  answered  the  Princess  "  is  the  Tamate-Bako  (Box 
of  the  Jewel  Hand),  and  it  contains  something  very  precious. 
You  must  not  open  this  box,  whatever  happens  !  If  you  open 
it  something  dreadful  will  happen  to  you !  Now  promise  me 
that  you  will  never  open  this  box !  " 

And  Urashima  promised  that  he  would  never,  never  open 
the  box  whatever  happened. 

Then  bidding  good-bye  to  Otohime  Sama  he  went  down  to 
the  seashore,  the  Princess  and  her  attendants  following  him, 
and  there  he  found  a  large  tortoise  waiting  for  him. 

He  quickly  mounted  the  creature's  back  and  was  carried 
away  over  the  shining  sea  into  the  East.  He  looked  back  to 
wave  his  hand  to  Otohime  Sama  till  at  last  he  could  see  her 
no  more,  and  the  land  of  the  Sea  Kinsr  and  the  roofs  of  the 


38  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

wonderful  palace  were  lost  in  the  far,  far  distance.  Then,  with 
his  face  turned  eagerly  towards  his  own  land,  he  looked  for  the 
rising  of  the  blue  hills  on  the  horizon  before  him. 

At  last  the  tortoise  carried  him  into  the  bay  he  knew  so 
well,  and  to  the  shore  from  whence  he  had  set  out.  He  stepped 
on  to  the  shore  and  looked  about  him  while  the  tortoise  rode 
away  back  to  the  Sea  King's  realm. 

But  what  is  the  strange  fear  that  seizes  Urashima  as  he 
stands  and  looks  about  him  ?  Why  does  he  gaze  so  fixedly  at 
the  people  that  pass  him  by,  and  why  do  they  in  turn  stand 
and  look  at  him  ?  The  shore  is  the  same  and  the  hills  are  the 
same,  but  the  people  that  he  sees  walking  past  him  have  very 
different  faces  to  those  he  had  known  so  well  before. 

Wondering  what  it  can  mean  he  walks  quickly  towards  his 
old  home.  Even  that  looks  different,  but  a  house  stands  on 
the  spot,  and  he  calls  out : 

"  Father,  I  have  just  returned  !  "  and  he  was  about  to 
enter,  when  he  saw  a  strange  man  coming  out. 

"  Perhaps  my  parents  have  moved  while  I  have  been  away, 
and  have  gone  somewhere  else,"  was  the  fisherman's  thought. 
Somehow  he  began  to  feel  strangely  anxious,  he  could  not 
tell  why. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  he  to  the  man  who  was  staring  at  him, 
"  but  till  within  the  last  few  days  I  have  lived  in  this  house. 
My  name  is  Urashima  Taro.  Where  have  my  parents  gone 
whom  I  left  here  ?  " 

A  very  bewildered  expression  came  over  the  face  of  the  man, 
and,  still  gazing  intently  on  Urashima's  face,  he  said  : 

"  What  ?     Are  you  Urashima  Taro  ?  " 


The  Story  of  Urashima  Taro,  the  Fisher  Lad.      39 

"  Yes,"  said  the  fisherman,  "  I  am  Urashima  Taro  !  " 

"  Ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  the  man,  "  you  must  not  make  such 
jokes.  It  is  true  that  once  upon  a  time  a  man  called  Urashima 
Taro  did  live  in  this  village,  but  that  is  a  story  three  hundred 
years  old.     He  could  not  possibly  be  alive  now  !  " 

When  Urashima  heard  these  strange  words  he  was 
frightened,    and    said : 

"  Please,  please,  you  must  not  joke  with  me,  for  I  am 
greatly  perplexed.  I  am  really  Urashima  Taro,  and  I  certainly 
have  not  lived  three  hundred  years.  Till  four  or  five  days  ago 
I  lived  on  this  spot.  Tell  me  what  I  want  to  know  without 
more  joking,  please." 

But  the  man's  face  grew  more  and  more  grave,  and  he 
answered  : 

"  You  may  or  may  not  be  Urashima  Taro,  I  don't  know. 
But  the  Urashima  Taro  of  whom  I  have  heard  is  a  man  who 
lived  three  hundred  years  ago.  Perhaps  you  are  his  spirit 
come  to  re-visit  your  old  home  ?  " 

"Why  do  you  mock  me?"  said  Urashima.  "I  am 
no  spirit  !  I  am  a  living  man — do  you  not  see  my  feet  "  ; 
and  "don-don,"  he  stamped  on  the  ground,  first  with  one 
foot  and  then  with  the  other  to  show  the  man.  (Japanese 
ghosts  have  no  feet.) 

"  But  Urashima  Taro  lived  three  hundred  years  ago,  that 
is  all  I  know ;  it  is  written  in  the  village  chronicles,"  persisted 
the  man,  who  could  not  believe  what  the  fisherman  said. 

Urashima  was  lost  in  bewilderment  and  trouble.  He 
stood  looking  all  around  him,  terribly  puzzled,  and,  indeed, 
something  in  the  appearance  of  everything  was  different  to 


4o 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


what  he  remembered  before  he  went  away,  and  the  awful 
feeling  came  over  him  that  what  the  man  said  was  perhaps 
true.     He  seemed  to  be  in  a  strange  dream.     The  few  days  he 


A  beautiful  little  Purple  Cloud  rose  out  of  the  Box. 

had  spent  in  the  Sea  King's  palace  beyond  the  sea  had  not 
been  days  at  all ;  they  had  been  hundreds  of  years,  and  in  that 
time  his  parents  had  died  and  all  the  people  he  had  ever  known, 
and  the  village  had  written  down  his  story.     There  was  no  use 


The  Story  of  Urashima  Taro,  the  Fisher  Lad.     41 

in  staying  here  any  longer.  He  must  get  back  to  his  beautiful 
wife  beyond  the  sea. 

He  made  his  way  back  to  the  beach,  carrying  in  his  hand 
the  box  which  the  Princess  had  given  him.  But  which  was  the 
way  ?  He  could  not  find  it  alone  !  Suddenly  he  remembered 
the  box,  the  Tamate-Bako. 

"  The  Princess  told  me  when  she  gave  me  the  box  never 
to  open  it — that  it  contained  a  very  precious  thing.  But  now 
that  I  have  no  home,  now  that  I  have  lost  everything  that 
was  dear  to  me  here,  and  my  heart  grows  thin  with  sadness, 
at  such  a  time,  if  I  open  the  box,  surely  I  shall  find  some- 
thing that  will  help  me,  something  that  will  show  me  the 
way  back  to  my  beautiful  Princess  over  the  sea.  There  is 
nothing  else  for  me  to  do  now.  Yes,  yes,  I  will  open  the 
box  and  look  in  !  " 

And  so  his  heart  consented  to  this  act  of  disobedience,  and 
he  tried  to  persuade  himself  that  he  was  doing  the  right  thing 
in  breaking  his  promise. 

Slowly,  very  slowly,  he  untied  the  red  silk  cord,  slowly  and 
wonderingly  he  lifted  the  lid  of  the  precious  box.  And  what 
did  he  find  ?  Strange  to  say  only  a  beautiful  little  purple  cloud 
rose  out  of  the  box  in  three  soft  wisps.  For  an  instant  it 
covered  his  face  and  wavered  over  him  as  if  loth  to  go,  and 
then  it  floated  away  like  vapour  over  the  sea. 

Urashima,  who  had  been  till  that  moment  like  a  strong 
and  handsome  youth  of  twenty-four,  suddenly  became  very, 
very  old.  His  back  doubled  up  with  age,  his  hair  turned 
snowy  white,  his  face  wrinkled  and  he  fell  down  dead  on 
the   beach. 


42  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Poor  Urashima  !  because  of  his  disobedience  he  could  never 
return  to  the  Sea  King's  realm  or  the  lovely  Princess  beyond 
the  sea. 

Little  children,  never  be  disobedient  to  those  who  are  wiser 
than  you,  for  disobedience  was  the  beginning  of  all  the  miseries 
and  sorrows  of  life. 


(  43  ) 


THE  FARMER  AND  THE  BADGER. 

Long,  long  ago,  there  lived  an  old  farmer  and  his  wife  who 
had  made  their  home  in  the  mountains,  far  from  any  town. 
Their  only  neighbour  was  a  bad  and  malicious  badger.  This 
badger  used  to  come  out  every  night  and  run  across  to  the 
farmer's  field  and  spoil  the  vegetables  and  the  rice  which  the 
farmer  spent  his  time  in  carefully  cultivating.  The  badger  at 
last  grew  so  ruthless  in  his  mischievous  work,  and  did  so  much 
harm  everywhere  on  the  farm,  that  the  good-natured  farmer 
could  not  stand  it  any  longer,  and  determined  to  put  a  stop  to 
it.  So  he  lay  in  wait  day  after  day  and  night  after  night,  with  a 
big  club,  hoping  to  catch  the  badger,  but  all  in  vain.  Then  he 
laid  traps  for  the  wicked  animal. 

The  farmer's  trouble  and  patience  was  rewarded,  for  one 
fine  day  on  going  his  rounds  he  found  the  badger  caught  in  a 
hole  he  had  dug  for  that  purpose.  The  farmer  was  delighted 
at  having  caught  his  enemy,  and  carried  him  home  securely 
bound  with  rope.  When  he  reached  the  house  the  farmer  said 
to  his  wife  : 

"  I  have  at  last  caught  the  bad  badger.  You  must  keep  an 
eye  on  him  while  I  am  out  at  work  and  not  let  him  escape, 
because  I  want  to  make  him  into  soup  to-night." 

Saying  this,  he  hung  the  badger  up  to  the  rafters  of  his 
storehouse  and  went  out  to  his  work  in  the  fields.     The  badger 


44 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


The  Farmer's  Wife  pounding  Barley. 


The  Farmer  and  the  Badger.  45 

was  in  great  distress,  for  he  did  not  at  all  like  the  idea  of  being 
made  into  soup  that  night,  and  he  thought  and  thought  for  a 
long  time,  trying  to  hit  upon  some  plan  by  which  he  might 
escape.  It  was  hard  to  think  clearly  in  his  uncomfortable 
position,  for  he  had  been  hung  upside  down.  Very  near  him, 
at  the  entrance  to  the  storehouse,  looking  out  towards  the 
green  fields  and  the  trees  and  the  pleasant  sunshine,  stood 
the  farmer's  old  wife  pounding  barley.  She  looked  tired  and 
old.  Her  face  was  seamed  with  many  wrinkles,  and  was  as 
brown  as  leather,  and  every  now  and  then  she  stopped  to  wipe 
the  perspiration  which  rolled  down  her  face. 

"Dear  lady,"  said  the  wily  badger,  "you  must  be  very 
weary  doing  such  heavy  work  in  your  old  age.  Won't  you  let 
me  do  that  for  you  ?  My  arms  are  very  strong,  and  I  could 
relieve  you  for  a  little  while  !  " 

"  Thank  you  for  your  kindness,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  but 
I  cannot  let  you  do  this  work  for  me  because  I  must  not  untie 
you,  for  you  might  escape  if  I  did,  and  my  husband  would  be 
very  angry  if  he  came  home  and  found  you  gone." 

Now,  the  badger  is  one  of  the  most  cunning  of  animals,  and 
he  said  again  in  a  very  sad,  gentle,  voice  : 

"  You  are  very  unkind.  You  might  untie  me,  for  I  promise 
not  to  try  to  escape.  If  you  are  afraid  of  your  husband,  I 
will  let  you  bind  me  again  before  his  return  when  I  have 
finished  pounding  the  barley.  I  am  so  tired  and  sore  tied 
up  like  this.  If  you  would  only  let  me  down  for  a  few  minutes 
I  would  indeed  be  thankful !  " 

The  old  woman  had  a  good  and  simple  nature,  and  could 
not  think  badly  of  anyone.     Much  less  did  she  think  that  the 


46  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

badger  was  only  deceiving  her  in  order  to  get  away.  She  felt 
sorry,  too,  for  the  animal  as  she  turned  to  look  at  him.  He 
looked  in  such  a  sad  plight  hanging  downwards  from  the  ceiling 
by  his  legs,  which  were  all  tied  together  so  tightly  that  the  rope 
and  the  knots  were  cutting  into  the  skin.  So  in  the  kindness 
of  her  heart,  and  believing  the  creature's  promise  that  he  would 
not  run  away,  she  untied  the  cord  and  let  him  down. 

The  old  woman  then  gave  him  the  wooden  pestle  and  told 
him  to  do  the  work  for  a  short  time  while  she  rested.  He  took 
the  pestle,  but  instead  of  doing  the  work  as  he  was  told,  the 
badger  at  once  sprang  upon  the  old  woman  and  knocked  her 
down  with  the  heavy  piece  of  wood.  He  then  killed  her  and 
cut  her  up  and  made  soup  of  her,  and  waited  for  the  return  of  the 
old  farmer.  The  old  man  worked  hard  in  his  fields  all  day, 
and  as  he  worked  he  thought  with  pleasure  that  no  more  now 
would  his  labour  be  spoiled  by  the  destructive  badger. 

Towards  sunset  he  left  his  work  and  turned  to  go  home. 
He  was  very  tired,  but  the  thought  of  the  nice  supper  of 
hot  badger  soup  awaiting  his  return  cheered  him.  The 
thought  that  the  badger  might  get  free  and  take  revenge  on 
the  poor  old  woman  never  once  came  into  his  mind. 

The  badger  meanwhile  assumed  the  old  woman's  form,  and 
as  soon  as  he  saw  the  old  farmer  approaching  came  out  to  greet 
him  on  the  verandah  of  the  little  house,  saying : 

"  So  you  have  come  back  at  last.  I  have  made  the  badger 
soup  and  have  been  waiting  for  you  for  a  long  time." 

The  old  farmer  quickly  took  off  his  straw  sandals  and  sat 
down  before  his  tiny  dinner-tray.  The  innocent  man  never 
even  dreamt  that  it  was  not  his  wife  but  the  badger  who  was 


The  Farmer  and  the  Badger.  47 

waiting  upon  him,  and  asked  at  once  for  the  soup.  Then  the 
badger  suddenly  transformed  himself  back  to  his  natural  form 
and  cried  out : 

"  You  wife-eating  old  man  !     Look  out  for  the  bones  in  the 

kitchen  !  " 

Laughing  loudly  and  derisively  he  escaped  out  of  the  house 
and  ran  away  to  his  den  in  the  hills.  The  old  man  was  left 
behind  alone.  He  could  hardly  believe  what  he  had  seen  and 
heard.  Then  when  he  understood  the  whole  truth  he  was  so 
scared  and  horrified  that  he  fainted  right  away.  After  a  while  he 
came  round  and  burst  into  tears.  He  cried  loudly  and  bitterly. 
He  rocked  himself  to  and  fro  in  his  hopeless  grief.  It  seemed 
too  terrible  to  be  real  that  his  faithful  old  wife  had  been  killed 
and  cooked  by  the  badger  while  he  was  working  quietly  in  the 
fields,  knowing  nothing  of  what  was  going  on  at  home,  and 
congratulating  himself  on  having  once  for  all  got  rid  of  the 
wicked  animal  who  had  so  often  spoiled  his  fields.  And  oh  ! 
the  horrible  thought;  he  had  very  nearly  drunk  the  soup  which 
the  creature  had  made  of  his  poor  old  woman.  "Oh  dear,  oh 
dear,  oh  dear!"  he  wailed  aloud.  Now,  not  far  away  there 
lived  in  the  same  mountain  a  kind,  good-natured  old  rabbit. 
He  heard  the  old  man  crying  and  sobbing  and  at  once  set  out 
to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  if  there  was  anything  he  could 
do  to  help  his  neighbour.  The  old  man  told  him  all  that  had 
happened.  When  the  rabbit  heard  the  story  he  was  very  angry 
at  the  wicked  and  deceitful  badger,  and  told  the  old  man  to  leave 
everything  to  him  and  he  would  avenge  his  wife's  death.  The 
farmer  was  at  last  comforted,  and,  wiping  away  his  tears,  thanked 
the  rabbit  for  his  goodness  in  coming  to  him  in  his  distress. 


48  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

The  rabbit,  seeing  that  the  farmer  was  growing  calmer, 
went  back  to  his  home  to  lay  his  plans  for  the  punishment  of 
the  badger. 

The  next  day  the  weather  was  fine,  and  the  rabbit  went  out 
to  find  the  badger.  He  was  not  to  be  seen  in  the  woods  or  on 
the  hillside  or  in  the  fields  anywhere,  so  the  rabbit  went  to  his 
den  and  found  the  badger  hiding  there,  for  the  animal  had  been 
afraid  to  show  himself  ever  since  he  had  escaped  from  the 
farmer's  house,  for  fear  of  the  old  man's  wrath. 

The  rabbit  called  out : 

"  Why  are  you  not  out  on  such  a  beautiful  day  ?  Come 
out  with  me,  and  we  will  go  and  cut  grass  on  the  hills 
together." 

The  badger,  never  doubting  but  that  the  rabbit  was  his 
friend,  willingly  consented  to  go  out  with  him,  only  too  glad  to 
get  away  from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  farmer  and  the  fear  of 
meeting  him.  The  rabbit  led  the  way  miles  away  from  their 
homes,  out  on  the  hills  where  the  grass  grew  tall  and  thick  and 
sweet.  They  both  set  to  work  to  cut  down  as  much  as  they  could 
carry  home,  to  store  it  up  for  their  winter's  food.  When  they 
had  each  cut  down  all  they  wanted  they  tied  it  in  bundles  and 
then  started  homewards,  each  carrying  his  bundle  of  grass  on 
his  back.     This  time  the  rabbit  made  the  badger  go  first. 

When  they  had  gone  a  little  way  the  rabbit  took  out  a  flint 
and  steel,  and,  striking  it  over  the  badger's  back  as  he  stepped 
along  in  front,  set  his  bundle  of  grass  on  fire.  The  badger 
heard  the  flint  striking,  and  asked  : 

"  What  is  that  noise,  '  Crack,  crack  '  ?  " 

"Oh,   that  is  nothing,"  replied  the  rabbit;   "I  only  said 


The  Farmer  and  the  Badger. 


49 


Set  the  Bundle  of  Grass  on  Fire. 


F.B. 


50  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

'  Crack,  crack '  because  this  mountain  is  called  Crackling 
Mountain. 

The  fire  soon  spread  in  the  bundle  of  dry  grass  on  the 
badger's  back.  The  badger,  hearing  the  crackle  of  the  burning 
grass,  asked  "  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Now  we  have  come  to  the  '  Burning  Mountain,' " 
answered  the  rabbit. 

By  this  time  the  bundle  was  nearly  burnt  out  and  all  the 
hair  had  been  burnt  off  the  badger's  back.  He  now  knew  what 
had  happened  by  the  smell  of  the  smoke  of  the  burning  grass. 
Screaming  with  pain  the  badger  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  to  his 
hole.  The  rabbit  followed  and  found  him  lying  on  his  bed 
groaning  with  pain. 

"  What  an  unlucky  fellow  you  are  !  "  said  the  rabbit.  "  I 
can't  imagine  how  this  happened  !  I  will  bring  you  some 
medicine  which  will  heal  your  back  quickly  !  " 

The  rabbit  went  away  glad  and  smiling  to  think  that  the 
punishment  upon  the  badger  had  already  begun.  He  hoped 
that  the  badger  would  die  of  his  burns,  for  he  felt  that  nothing 
could  be  too  bad  for  the  animal,  who  was  guilty  of  murdering 
a  poor  helpless  old  woman  who  had  trusted  him.  He  went 
home  and  made  an  ointment  by  mixing  some  sauce  and  red 
pepper  together. 

He  carried  this  to  the  badger,  but  before  putting  it  on  he  told 
him  that  it  would  cause  him  great  pain,  but  that  he  must  bear 
it  patiently,  because  it  was  a  very  wonderful  medicine  for  burns 
and  scalds  and  such  wounds.  The  badger  thanked  him  and 
begged  him  to  apply  it  at  once.  But  no  language  can  describe 
the  agonj'  of  the  badger  as  soon  as  the  red  pepper  had  been 


The  Farmer  and  the  Badger.  51 

pasted  all  over  his  sore  back.  He  rolled  over  and  over  and 
howled  loudly.  The  rabbit,  looking  on,  felt  that  the  farmer's 
wife  was  beginning  to  be  avenged. 

The  badger  was  in  bed  for  about  a  month  ;  but  at  last,  in 
spite  of  the  red  pepper  application,  his  burns  healed  and  he 
got  well.  When  the  rabbit  saw  that  the  badger  was  getting 
well,  he  thought  of  another  plan  by  which  he  could  compass 
the  creature's  death.  So  he  went  one  day  to  pay  the  badger 
a  visit  and  to  congratulate  him  on  his  recovery. 

During  the  conversation  the  rabbit  mentioned  that  he  was 
going  fishing,  and  described  how  pleasant  fishing  was  when  the 
weather  was  fine  and  the  sea  smooth. 

The  badger  listened  with  pleasure  to  the  rabbit's  account 
of  the  way  he  passed  his  time  now,  and  forgot  all  his  pains  and 
his  month's  illness,  and  thought  what  fun  it  would  be  if  he 
could  go  fishing  too;  so  he  asked  the  rabbit  if  he  would  take 
him  the  next  time  he  went  out  to  fish.  This  was  just  what  the 
rabbit  wanted,  so  he  agreed. 

Then  he  went  home  and  built  two  boats,  one  of  wood  and 
the  other  of  clay.  At  last  they  were  both  finished,  and  as  the 
rabbit  stood  and  looked  at  his  work  he  felt  that  all  his  trouble 
would  be  well  rewarded  if  his  plan  succeeded,  and  he  could 
manage  to  kill  the  wicked  badger  now. 

The  day  came  when  the  rabbit  had  arranged  to  take  the 
badger  fishing.  He  kept  the  wooden  boat  himself  and  gave 
the  badger  the  clay  boat.  The  badger,  who  knew  nothing 
about  boats,  was  delighted  with  his  new  boat  and  thought  how 
kind  it  was  of  the  rabbit  to  give  it  to  him.  They  both  got  into 
their  boats  and  set  out.     After  going  some  distance  from  the 

e  2 


52 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


shore  the  rabbit  proposed  that  they  should  try  their  boats  and 
see  which  one  could  go  the  quickest.  The  badger  fell  in  with 
the  proposal,  and  they  both  set  to  work  to  row  as  fast  as  they 


He  raised  his  Oar  and  Struck  at  the  Badger  with  all  his  Strength. 

could  for  some  time.  In  the  middle  01  the  race  the  badger 
found  his  boat  going  to  pieces,  for  the  water  now  began  to 
soften  the  clay.     He  cried  out  in  great  fear  to  the  rabbit  to 


The  Farmer  and  the  Badger.  53 

help  him.  But  the  rabbit  answered  that  he  was  avenging  the 
old  woman's  murder,  and  that  this  had  been  his  intention  all 
along,  and  that  he  was  happy  to  think  that  the  badger  had 
at  last  met  his  deserts  for  all  his  evil  crimes,  and  was  to 
drown  with  no  one  to  help  him.  Then  he  raised  his  oar  and 
struck  at  the  badger  with  all  his  strength  till  he  fell  with  the 
sinking  clay  boat  and  was  seen  no  more. 

Thus  at  last  he  kept  his  promise  to  the  old  farmer.  The 
raobit  now  turned  and  rowed  shorewards,  and  having  landed 
and  pulled  his  boat  upon  the  beach,  hurried  back  to  tell  the  old 
farmer  everything,  and  how  the  badger,  his  enemy,  had  been 
killed. 

The  old  farmer  thanked  him  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  He 
said  that  till  now  he  could  never  sleep  at  night  or  be  at  peace 
in  the  daytime,  thinking  of  how  his  wife's  death  was  unavenged, 
but  from  this  time  he  would  be  able  to  sleep  and  eat  as  of 
old.  He  begged  the  rabbit  to  stay  with  him  and  share  his 
home,  so  from  this  day  the  rabbit  went  to  stay  with  the  old 
farmer  and  they  both  lived  together  as  good  friends  to  the  end 
of  their  days. 


(    54    ) 


THE   S'HINANSHA,    OR    THE    SOUTH    POINTING 

CARRIAGE. 

The  compass,  with  its  needle  always  pointing  to  the  North, 
is  quite  a  common  thing,  and  no  one  thinks  that  it  is  remark- 
able now,  though  when  it  was  first  invented  it  must  have  been 
a  wonder. 

Now  long  ago  in  China,  there  was  a  still  more  wonderful 
invention  called  the  Shinansha.  This  was  a  kind  of  chariot 
with  the  figure  of  a  man  on  it  always  pointing  to  the  South. 
No  matter  how  the  chariot  was  placed  the  figure  always  wheeled 
about  and  pointed  to  the  South. 

This  curious  instrument  was  invented  by  Kotei,  one  of  the 
three  Chinese  Emperors  of  the  mythological  age.  Kotei  was  the 
son  of  the  Emperor  Yuhi.  Before  he  was  born  his  mother  had 
a  vision  which  foretold  that  her  son  would  be  a  great  man. 

One  summer  evening  she  went  out  to  walk  in  the  meadows 
to  seek  the  cool  breezes  which  blow  at  the  end  of  the  day  and 
to  gaze  with  pleasure  at  the  star-lit  heavens  above  her.  As  she 
looked  at  the  North  Star,  strange  to  relate,  it  shot  forth  vivid 
flashes  of  lightning  in  every  direction.  Soon  after  this  her  son 
Kotei  came  into  the  world. 

Kotei  in  time  grew  to  manhood  and  succeeded  his  father 
the  Emperor  Yuhi.  His  early  reign  was  greatly  troubled  by 
the  rebel  Shiyu.     This  rebel  wanted  to  make  himself  King,  and 


The  Shinansha,  or  the  South  Pointing  Carriage.     55 

many  were  the  battles  which  he  fought  to  this  end.  Shiyu 
was  a  wicked  magician,  his  head  was  made  of  iron,  and  there 
was  no  man  that  could  conquer  him. 

At  last  Kotei  declared  war  against  the  rebel  and  led  his 
army  to  battle,  and  the  two   armies  met   on    a   plain  called 


He  Thought  and  Pondered  Deeply. 

Takuroku.  The  Emperor  boldly  attacked  the  enemy,  but  the 
magician  brought  down  a  dense  fog  upon  the  battlefield,  and 
while  the  royal  army  were  wandering  about  in  confusion, 
trying  to  find  their  way,  Shiyu  retreated  with  his  troops,  laughing 
at  having  fooled  the  royal  army. 

No    matter    however    strong    and    brave    the    Emperor's 


56  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

soldiers  were,  the  rebel  with  his  magic  could  always  escape 
in  the  end. 

Kotei  returned  to  his  Palace,  and  thought  and  pondered 
deeply  as  to  how  he  should  conquer  the  magician,  for  he  was 
determined  not  to  give  up  yet.  After  a  long  time  he  invented 
the  Shinansha  with  the  figure  of  a  man  always  pointing  South, 
for  there  were  no  compasses  in  those  days.  With  this 
instrument  to  show  him  the  way  he  need  not  fear  the  dense 
fogs  raised  up  by  the  magician  to  confound  his  men. 

Kotei  again  declared  war  against  Shiyu.  He  placed  the 
Shinansha  in  front  of  his  army  and  led  the  way  to  the  battlefield. 

The  battle  began  in  earnest.  The  rebel  was  being  driven 
backward  by  the  royal  troops  when  he  again  resorted  to  magic, 
and  upon  his  saying  some  strange  words  in  a  loud  voice, 
immediately  a  dense  fog  came  down  upon  the  battlefield. 

But  this  time  no  soldier  minded  the  fog,  not  one  was 
confused.  Kotei  by  pointing  to  the  Shinansha  could  find  his 
way  and  directed  the  army  without  a  single  mistake.  He 
closely  pursued  the  rebel  army  and  drove  them  backward  till 
they  came  to  a  big  river.  This  river  Kotei  and  his  men  found 
was  swollen  by  the  floods  and  impossible  to  cross. 

Shiyu  by  using  his  magic  art  quickly  passed  over  with  his 
army  and  shut  himself  up  in  a  fortress  on  the  opposite  bank. 

When  Kotei  found  his  march  checked  he  was  wild  with 
disappointment,  for  he  had  very  nearly  overtaken  the  rebel  when 
the  river  stopped  him. 

He  could  do  nothing,  for  there  were  no  boats  in  those  days, 
so  the  Emperor  ordered  his  tent  to  be  pitched  in  the  pleasantest 
spot  that  the  place  afforded. 


The  Shinansha,  or  the  South  Pointing  Carriage.     57 

One  day  he  stepped  forth  from  his  tent  and  after  walking 
about  for  a  short  time  he  came  to  a  pond.  Here  he  sat 
down  on  the  bank  and  was  lost  in  thought. 

It  was  autumn.  The  trees  growing  along  the  edge  of  the 
water  were  shedding  their  leaves,  which  floated  hither  and 
thither  on  the  surface  of  the  pond.  By-and-bye,  Kotei's 
attention  was  attracted  to  a  spider  on  the  brink  of  the 
water.  The  little  insect  was  trying  to  get  on  to  one  of  the 
floating  leaves  near  by.  It  did  so  at  last,  and  was  soon 
floating  over  the  water  to  the  other  side  of  the  pond. 

This  little  incident  made  the  clever  Emperor  think  that  he 
might  try  to  make  something  that  could  carry  himself  and  his 
men  over  the  river  in  the  same  way  that  the  leaf  had  carried 
over  the  spider.  He  set  to  work  and  persevered  till  he  invented 
the  first  boat.  When  he  found  that  it  was  a  success  he  set  all 
his  men  to  make  more,  and  in  time  there  were  enough  boats 
for  the  whole  army. 

Kotei  now  took  his  army  across  the  river,  and  attacked 
Shiyu's  headquarters.  He  gained  a  complete  victory,  and  so 
put  an  end  to  the  war  which  had  troubled  his  country  for 
so  long. 

This  wise  and  good  Emperor  did  not  rest  till  he  had 
secured  peace  and  prosperity  throughout  his  whole  land.  He 
was  beloved  by  his  subjects,  who  now  enjoyed  their  happiness 
of  peace  for  many  long  years  under  him.  He  spent  a  great 
deal  of  time  in  making  inventions  which  would  benefit  his 
people,  and  he  succeeded  in  many  besides  the  boat  and  the 
South  Pointing  Shinansha. 

He  had  reigned  about  a  hundred  years  when  one  day,   as 


58 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


Kotei  was  looking  upwards,  the  sky  became  suddenly  red,  and 
something  came  glittering  like  gold  towards  the  earth.  As  it 
came  nearer  Kotei  saw  that  it  was  a  great  Dragon.  The  Dragon 
approached  and  bowed   down   its   head  before  the  Emperor. 


He  Mounted  the  Dragon 


The  Empress  and  the  courtiers  were  so  frightened  that  they 
ran  away  screaming. 

But  the  Emperor  only  smiled  and  called  to  them  to  stop, 
and  said : 

"  Do  not  be  afraid.  This  is  a  messenger  from  Heaven. 
My  time  here  is  finished  !  "  He  then  mounted  the  Dragon, 
which  began  to  ascend  towards  the  sky. 


The  Shinansha,  or  the  South   Pointing  Carriage.     59 

When  the  Empress  and  the  courtiers  saw  this  they  all  cried 
out  together : 

"Wait  a  moment!  We  wish  to  come  too."  And  they 
all  ran  and  caught  hold  of  the  Dragon's  beard  and  tried  to 
mount  him. 

But  it  was  impossible  for  so  many  people  to  ride  on  the 
Dragon.  Several  of  them  hung  on  to  the  creature's  beard  so 
that  when  it  tried  to  mount  the  hair  was  pulled  out  and  they 
fell  to  the  ground. 

Meanwhile  the  Empress  and  a  few  of  the  courtiers  were 
safely  seated  on  the  Dragon's  back.  The  Dragon  flew  up  so 
high  in  the  heavens  that  in  a  short  time  the  inmates  of  the 
Palace,  who  had  been  left  behind  disappointed,  could  see  them 
no  more. 

After  some  time  a  bow  and  an  arrow  dropped  to  the  earth 
in  the  courtyard  of  the  Palace.  They  were  recognised  as 
having  belonged  to  the  Emperor  Kotei.  The  courtiers  took 
them  up  carefully  and  preserved  them  as  sacred  relics  in  the 
Palace. 


(    6o    ) 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    KINTARO,    THE 
GOLDEN    BOY. 

Long,  long  ago  there  lived  in  Kyoto  a  brave  soldier  named 
Kintoki.  Now  he  fell  in  love  with  a  beautiful  lady  and  married 
her.  Not  long  after  this,  through  the  malice  of  some  of  his 
friends,  he  fell  into  disgrace  at  Court  and  was  dismissed.  This 
misfortune  so  preyed  upon  his  mind  that  he  did  not  long 
survive  his  dismissal — he  died,  leaving  behind  him  his  beauti- 
ful young  wife  to  face  the  world  alone.  Fearing  her  husband's 
enemies,  she  fled  to  the  Ashigara  Mountains  as  soon  as  her 
husband  was  dead,  and  there  in  the  lonely  forests  where  no 
one  ever  came  except  woodcutters,  a  little  boy  was  born  to 
her.  She  called  him  Kintaro  or  the  Golden  Boy.  Now  the 
remarkable  thing  about  this  child  was  his  great  strength,  and 
as  he  grew  older  he  grew  stronger  and  stronger,  so  that  by  the 
time  he  was  eight  years  of  age  he  was  able  to  cut  down  trees 
as  quickly  as  the  woodcutters.  Then  his  mother  gave  him  a 
large  axe,  and  he  used  to  go  out  in  the  forest  and  help  the 
woodcutters,  who  called  him  "  Wonder-child,"  and  his  mother 
the  "Old  Nurse  of  the  Mountains,"  for  they  did  not  know  her 
high  rank.  Another  favourite  pastime  of  Kintaro's  was  to  smash 
up  rocks  and  stones.     You  can  imagine  how  strong  he  was ! 

Quite  unlike  other  boys,  Kintaro  grew  up  all  alone  in  the 
mountain  wilds,  and  as  he  had  no  companions  he  made  friends 


The  Adventures  of  Kintaro,  the  Golden  Boy.     61 

with  all  the  animals  and  learned  to  understand  them  and  to 
speak  their  strange  talk.  By  degrees  they  all  grew  quite  tame 
and  looked  upon  Kintaro  as  their  master,  and  he  used  them  as 
his  servants  and  messengers.  But  his  special  retainers  were 
the  bear,  the  deer,  the  monkey  and  the  hare. 

The  bear  often  brought  her  cubs  for  Kintaro  to  romp  with, 
and  when  she  came  to  take  them  home  Kintaro  would  get  on 
her  back  and  have  a  ride  to  her  cave.  He  was  very  fond  of 
the  deer  too,  and  would  often  put  his  arms  round  the  creature's 
neck  to  show  that  its  long  horns  did  not  frighten  him.  Great 
was  the  fun  they  all  had  together. 

One  day,  as  usual,  Kintaro  went  up  into  the  mountains, 
followed  by  the  bear,  the  deer,  the  monkey,  and  the  hare. 
After  walking  for  some  time  up  hill  and  down  dale  and  over 
rough  roads,  they  suddenly  came  out  upon  a  wide  and  grassy 
plain  covered  with  pretty  wild  flowers. 

Here,  indeed,  was  a  nice  place  where  they  could  all  have  a 
good  romp  together.  The  deer  rubbed  his  horns  against  a 
tree  for  pleasure,  the  monkey  scratched  his  back,  the  hare 
smoothed  his  long  ears,  and  the  bear  gave  a  grunt  of 
satisfaction. 

Kintaro  said,  "  Here  is  a  place  for  a  good  game.  What 
do  you  all  say  to  a  wrestling  match  ?  " 

The  bear  being  the  biggest  and  the  oldest,  answered  for 
the  others : 

"That  will  be  great  fun,"  said  she.  "  I  am  the  strongest 
animal,  so  I  will  make  the  platform  for  the  wrestlers  " ;  and  she 
set  to  work  with  a  will  to  dig  up  the  earth  and  to  pat  it  into 
shape. 


62 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


"  All  right,"  said  Kintaro,  "  I  will  look  on  while  you  all 
wrestle  with  each  other.  I  shall  give  a  prize  to  the  one  who 
wins  in  each  round." 


^crpirM.;"'^  y  J0; 


•  "-'  ■  -^  ■'. 


-s*jK* 


^k 


""^■-S  ^  lid 


Then  the  Monkey  and  the  Hare  hopped  out 

"  What  fun  !  we  shall  all  try  to  get  the  prize,"  said  the 
bear. 

The  deer,  the  monkey  and  the  hare  set  to  work  to  help  the 
bear  raise  the  platform  on  which  they  were  all  to  wrestle. 
When  this  was  finished,  Kintaro  cried  out : 


The  Adventures  of  Kintaro,  the  Golden  Boy.     63 

"  Now  begin  !  the  monkey  and  the  hare  shall  open  the 
sports  and  the  deer  shall  be  umpire.  Now,  Mr.  Deer,  you  are 
to  be  umpire  !  " 

"  He,  he  !  "  answered  the  deer.  "  I  will  be  umpire.  Now, 
Mr.  Monkey  and  Mr.  Hare,  if  you  are  both  ready,  please  walk- 
out and  take  your  places  on  the  platform." 

Then  the  monkey  and  the  hare  both  hopped  out,  quickly 
and  nimbly,  to  the  wrestling  platform.  The  deer,  as  umpire, 
stood  between  the  two  and  called  out : 

"  Red-back  !  Red-back  !  "  (this  to  the  monkey,  who  has  a 
red  back  in  Japan).     "  Are  you  ready  ?  " 

Then  he  turned  to  the  hare  : 

"  Long-ears  !  Long-ears  !  are  you  ready  ?  " 

Both  the  little  wrestlers  faced  each  other  while  the  deer  raised 
a  leaf  on  high  as  signal.  When  he  dropped  the  leaf  the  monkey 
and  the  hare  rushed  upon  each  other,  crying  "Yoisho,  yoisho  !  " 

While  the  monkey  and  the  hare  wrestled,  the  deer  called 
out  encouragingly  or  shouted  warnings  to  each  of  them  as 
the  hare  or  the  monkey  pushed  each  other  near  the  edge  of 
the  platform  and  were  in  danger  of  falling  over. 

"Red-back!  Red-back!  stand  your  ground!"  called  out 
the  deer. 

"Long-ears!  Long-ears  !  be  strong,  be  strong— don't  let 
the  monkey  beat  you  !  "  grunted  the  bear. 

So  the  monkey  and  the  hare,  encouraged  by  their  friends,  tried 
their  very  hardest  to  beat  each  other.  The  hare  at  last  gained  on 
the  monkey.  The  monkey  seemed  to  trip  up,  and  the  hare  giving 
him  a  good  push  sent  him  flying  off  the  platform  with  a  bound. 

The  poor  monkey  sat  up  rubbing  his  back,  and  his  face 


64  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

was  very  long  as  he  screamed  angrily,  "  Oh,  oh  !  how  my  back 
hurts — my  back  hurts  me  !  " 

"  Seeing  the  monkey  in  this  plight  on  the  ground,  the  deer 
holding  his  leaf  on  high  said  : 

"This  round  is  finished — the  hare  has  won." 

Kintaro  then  opened  his  luncheon  box  and  taking  out  a 
rice-dumpling,  gave  it  to  the  hare  saying : 

"  Here  is  your  prize,  and  you  have  earned  it  well !  " 

Now  the  monkey  got  up  looking  very  cross,  and  as  they 
say  in  Japan  "  his  stomach  stood  up,"  for  he  felt  that  he  had 
not  been  fairly  beaten.  So  he  said  to  Kintaro  and  the  others 
who  were  standing  by  : 

"  I  have  not  been  fairly  beaten.  My  foot  slipped  and  I 
tumbled.  Please  give  me  another  chance  and  let  the  hare 
wrestle  with  me  for  another  round." 

Then  Kintaro  consenting,  the  hare  and  the  monkey  began 
to  wrestle  again.  Now,  as  everyone  knows,  the  monkey  is  a 
cunning  animal  by  nature,  and  he  made  up  his  mind  to  get  the 
best  of  the  hare  this  time  if  it  were  possible.  To  do  this,  he 
thought  that  the  best  and  surest  way  would  be  to  get  hold  of 
the  hare's  long  ear.  This  he  soon  managed  to  do.  The  hare 
was  quite  thrown  off  his  guard  by  the  pain  of  having  his  long 
ear  pulled  so  hard,  and  the  monkey  seizing  his  opportunity  at 
last,  caught  hold  of  one  of  the  hare's  legs  and  sent  him 
sprawling  in  the  middle  of  the  dais.  The  monkey  was  now 
the  victor  and  received  a  rice-dumpling  from  Kintaro,  which 
pleased  him  so  much  that  he  quite  forgot  his  sore  back. 

The  deer  now  came  up  and  asked  the  hare  if  he  felt  ready 
for  another  round,  and  if  so  whether  he  would  try  a  round  with 


The  Adventures  of  Kintaro,  the  Golden  Boy.     65 

him,  and  the  hare  consenting,  they  both  stood  up  to  wrestle. 
The  bear  came  forward  as  umpire. 

The  deer  with  long  horns  and  the  hare  with  long  ears,  it 
must  have  been  an  amusing  sight  to  those  who  watched  this 
queer  match.  Suddenly  the  deer  went  down  on  one  of  his 
knees,  and  the  bear  with  the  leaf  on  high  declared  him  beaten. 
In  this  way,  sometimes  the  one,  sometimes  the  other,  conquering, 
the  little  party  amused  themselves  till  they  were  tired. 

At  last  Kintaro  got  up  and  said  : 

"  This  is  enough  for  to-day.  What  a  nice  place  we  have 
found  for  wrestling ;  let  us  come  again  to-morrow.  Now,  we 
will  all  go  home.  Come  along  !  "  So  saying,  Kintaro  led  the 
way  while  the  animals  followed. 

After  walking  some  little  distance  they  came  out  on  the 
banks  of  a  river  flowing  through  a  valley.  Kintaro  and  his 
four  furry  friends  stood  and  looked  about  for  some  means  of 
crossing.  Bridge  there  was  none.  The  river  rushed  "don, 
don  "  on  its  way.  All  the  animals  looked  serious,  wondering 
how  they  could  cross  the  stream  and  get  home  that  evening. 

Kintaro,  however,  said  : 

"  Wait  a  moment.  I  will  make  a  good  bridge  for  you  all 
in  a  few  minutes." 

The  bear,  the  deer,  the  monkey  and  the  hare  looked  at  him 
to  see  what  he  would  do  now. 

Kintaro  went  from  one  tree  to  another  that  grew  alone:  the 
river  bank.  At  last  he  stopped  in  front  of  a  very  large  tree 
that  was  growing  at  the  water's  edge.  He  took  bold  of  the 
trunk  and  pulled  it  with  all  his  might,  once,  twice,  thrice  !  At 
the  third  pull,  so  great  was  Kintaro's  strength  that  the  roots 
f.b.  F 


66  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

gave    way,    and    "  men,    men  "    (crash,    crash),    over  fell  the 
tree,  forming  an  excellent  bridge  across  the  stream. 

"  There,"  said  Kintaro,  "what  do  you  think  of  my  bridge  ? 
It  is  quite  safe,  so  follow  me,"  and  he  stepped  across  first.  The 
four  animals  followed.  Never  had  they  seen  anyone  so  strong 
before,  and  they- all  exclaimed  : 

"  How  strong  he  is  !  how  strong  he  is  !  " 

While  all  this  was  going  on  by  the  river  a  woodcutter,  who 
happened  to  be  standing  on  a  rock  overlooking  the  stream, 
had  seen  all  that  passed  beneath  him.  He  watched  with  great 
surprise  Kintaro  and  his  animal  companions.  He  rubbed  his 
eyes  to  be  sure  that  he  was  not  dreaming  when  he  saw  this 
boy  pull  over  a  tree  by  the  roots  and  throw  it  across  the  stream 
to  form  a  bridge. 

The  woodcutter,  for  such  he  seemed  to  be  by  his  dress, 
marvelled  at  all  he  saw,  and  said  to  himself: ' 

"  This  is  no  ordinary  child.  Whose  son  can  he  be  ?  I  will 
find  out  before  this  day  is  done." 

He  hastened  after  the  strange  party  and  crossed  the  bridge 
behind  them.  Kintaro  knew  nothing  of  all  this,  and  little 
guessed  that  he  was  being  followed.  On  reaching  the  other 
side  of  the  river  he  and  the  animals  separated,  they  to  their  lairs 
in  the  woods  and  he  to  his  mother,  who  was  waiting  for  him. 

As  soon  as  he  entered  the  cottage,  which  stood  like  a 
matchbox  in  the  heart  of  the  pine-woods,  he  went  to  greet 
his  mother,  saying : 

"  Okkasan  (mother),  here  I  am  !  " 

"  O,  Kimbo!"  said  his  mother  with  a  bright  smile,  glad  to 
see  her  boy  home  safe  after  the  long  day.     "  How  late  you  are 


The  Adventures  of  Kintaro,  the  Golden   Boy.     67 

to-day.     I  feared  that  something  had  happened  to  you.    Where 
have  you  been  all  the  time  ?  " 

"  I  took  my  four  friends,  the  bear,  the  deer,  the  monkey, 
and  the  hare,  up  into  the  hills,  and  there  I  made  them  try  a 
wrestling  match,  to  see  which  was  the  strongest.  We  all 
enjoyed  the  sport,  and  are  going  to  the  same  place  to-morrow 
to  have  another  match." 

"Now  tell  me  who  is  the  strongest  of  all?"  asked  his 
mother,  pretending  not  to  know. 

"  Oh,  mother,"  said  Kintaro,  "  don't  you  know  that  I  am 
the  strongest  ?  There  was  no  need  for  me  to  wrestle  with  any 
of  them." 

"  But  next  to  you  then,  who  is  the  strongest  ? " 

"  The  bear  comes  next  to  me  in  strength,"  answered 
Kintaro. 

"  And  after  the  bear  ?  "  asked  his  mother  again. 

"  Next  to  the  bear  it  is  not  easy  to  say  which  is  the 
strongest,  for  the  deer,  the  monkey,  and  the  hare  all  seem 
to  be  as  strong  as  each  other,"  said  Kintaro. 

Suddenly  Kintaro  and  his  mother  were  startled  by  a  voice 
from  outside. 

"  Listen  to  me,  little  boy  !  Next  time  you  go,  take  this  old 
man  with  you  to  the  wrestling  match.  He  would  like  to  join 
the  sport  too  !  " 

It  was  the  old  woodcutter  who  had  followed  Kintaro  from 
the  river.  He  slipped  off  his  clogs  and  entered  the  cottage. 
Yama-uba  and  her  son  were  both  taken  by  surprise.  They 
looked  at  the  intruder  wonderingly,  and  saw  that  he  was 
someone  they  had  never  seen  before. 

F  2 


68  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  they  both  exclaimed. 

Then  the  woodcutter  laughed  and  said  : 

"  It  does  not  matter  who  I  am  yet,  but  let  us  see  who  has 
the  strongest  arm — this  boy  or  myself?  " 

Then  Kintaro,  who  had  lived  all  his  life  in  the  forest, 
answered  the  old  man  without  any  ceremony,  saying : 

"  We  will  have  a  try  if  you  wish  it,  but  you  must  not  be 
angry  whoever  is  beaten." 

Then  Kintaro  and  the  woodcutter  both  put  out  their  right 
arms  and  grasped  each  other's  hands.  For  a  long  time  Kintaro 
and  the  old  man  wrestled  together  in  this  way,  each  trying 
to  bend  the  other's  arm,  but  the  old  man  was  very  strong,  and 
the  strange  pair  were  evenly  matched.  At  last  the  old  man 
desisted,  declaring  it  a  drawn  game. 

"  You  are,  indeed,  a  very  strong  child.  There  are  few 
men  who  can  boast  of  the  strength  of  my  right  arm  !  "  said  the 
woodcutter.  "  I  saw  you  first  on  the  banks  of  the  river  a  few 
hours  ago,  when  you  pulled  up  that  large  tree  to  make  a  bridge 
across  the  torrent.  Hardly  able  to  believe  what  I  saw  I 
followed  you  home.  Your  strength  of  arm,  which  I  have  just 
tried,  proves  what  I  saw  this  afternoon.  When  you  are  full- 
grown  you  will  surely  be  the  strongest  man  in  all  Japan.  It  is 
a  pity  that  you  are  hidden  away  in  these  wild  mountains." 

Then  he  turned  to  Kintaro's  mother  : 

"And  you,  mother,  have  you  no  thought  of  taking  your 
child  to  the  Capital,  and  of  teaching  him  to  carry  a  sword  as 
befits  a  samurai  (a  Japanese  knight)  ?  " 

"  You  are  very  kind  to  take  so  much  interest  in  my  son," 
replied  the  mother;  "  but  he  is  as  you  see,  wild  and  uneducated, 


The  Adventures  of  iKintaro,  the  Golden  Boy.     71 


and  I  fear  it  would  be  very  dst  as  he  was  setting  out.  Kintaro 
of  his  great  strength  as  an",  and  said  that  as  soon  as  he  was 
unknown  part  of  the  country;  he  would  build  her  a  home  and 


had  tamed  to  serve  him,  the  bear, 
e  hare,  as  soon  as  they  found  out 
ie  to  ask  if  they  might  attend  him 
i  that  he  was  going  away  for  good 
.  of  the  mountain  to  see  him  off. 
.t,  "  mind  and  be  a  good  boy." 
:  faithful  animals,  "  we  wish  you 

\\V^_tree  to  see  the  last  of  him,  and 
jU^cyl  him  and  his  shadow  gradually 
e  was  lost  to  sight. 
55!  on  his  way  rejoicing  at  having 
j^T^-digy  as  Kintaro. 

--tination     the    general    took 


NuVAkU  lJMmoto-no-Raiko,  and  told 

Va  krrv-      ,  r     .     . 


'  found  the  child.     Lord 

i   having  commanded 

*<5  of  his  vassals  at 

I'he   Kind  General  gradually  unfolded  his  Plan. 

-ailed  "  The 
near  him.  I  have  often  wished  that  I  could,  one  day,  setfrom 
boy  a  knight  wearing  two  swords,  but  as  we  have  no  influem.  the 
friend  to  introduce  us  at  the  Capital,  I  fear  my  hope  will  nev.he 
come  true." 

"  You  need  not  trouble  yourself  about  that.      To  tell  you 


68 


T  T7  ■•/  Book. 

Japanese  ba.iv 


«  Who  are  you  ?  "  they  both  e  im  one  of  the  Sreat  Senerals 

m        ,,  j       .      i        u  j  J>  and  I  am  a  vassal  of  the 

Then  the  woodcutter  laughed 

,,  T,   j  ,      T      <<o.     He    ordered    me  to  go 

"  It  does  not  matter  who  la  .  ° 

,.  ,1  •    ,  boys  who  give  promise  of 

the  strongest  arm — this  boy  or  m        J  . 

„.         T.-    .  ,       ,     ,  r     /  may  be  trained  as  soldiers 

Then   Kintaro,  who   had  live         J 

,    ,        ,j  ...       ,   juld  best  do  this  by  assuming 

answered  the  old  man  without  /  ° 

„„.       ...  ,  -c  sy  good  fortune,  I  have  thus 

"We  will  have  a  try  it  you  a  _t 

.  .    .      L      „  on.     Now  if  you  really  wish 

angry  whoever  is  beaten.  .,,,,.  ,  ,  . 

°AT;1        Tr.  .    .  ,  'ill  take  him  and  present  him 

Then  Kintaro  and  the  woodc  .  . 

.  ..        ,     ,,      ,    .   te  lor  his  service.     What  do 

arms  and  grasped  each  other  s  ha 

and  the  old  man  wrestled   toget    ....,.,        ,  , 

,    ,         .      ,  i       ;i       nfolded  his  plan  the  mother  s 

to  bend  the  other  s  arm,  but  the  r 

.       y.     ohe  saw  that  here  was  a 
the  strange  pair  were  evenly  rr  . 

,     .       ,     ,     , ,     .  ,  sh  of  her  life  being  fulnlled — 

desisted,  declaring  it  a  drawn  p  ° 

.    ,      ,  n  betore  she  died. 

"  You   are,    indeed,   a  ver 

,  ,.  .       ,  jund,  she  replied : 

men  who  can  boast  of  the  str  ....  , 

r  on  to  you  it  you  really  mean  what 
woodcutter.     "  I  saw  you  n 

hours  ago,  when  you  pullc'  ,     ,-  ,      ,      ., 

TT  me  been  sitting  by  his  mother  s  side 
across  the  torrent.      H     ,IT1  .         °    J       . 

,  „         ,  .  .d.     When  his  mother  hmshed  speaking, 

followed  you  home. 

tried,  proves  what  TT  .    ■ 

...      ;     I  am  to  go  with  the  general  and  one  day 
grown  you  will  '     . ,  ,, 

5      .  ,      x         .MTCll!" 

a  pity  that  v  . 

^,        .mtaros  late  was  settled,  and  the  general  decided 
The'"  .  .... 

.art  for  the  Capital  at  once,  taking  Kintaro  with  him.     It 

,.d  hardly  be  said  that  Yama-uba  was  sad  at  parting  with  her 

jy,  for  he  was  all  that  was  left  to  her.      But  she  hid  her  grief 

vith  a  strong  face,  as  they  say  in  Japan.     She  knew  that  it  was 

for  lier  boy's  good  that    he   should  leave  her  now,   and   she 


The  Adventures  of  Kintaro,  the  Golden  Boy.     71 

must  not  discourage  him  just  as  he  was  setting  out.  Kintaro 
promised  never  to  forget  her,  and  said  that  as  soon  as  he  was 
a  knight  wearing  two  swords  he  would  build  her  a  home  and 
take  care  of  her  in  her  old  age. 

All  the  animals,  those  he  had  tamed  to  serve  him,  the  bear, 
the  deer,  the  monkey,  and  the  hare,  as  soon  as  they  found  out 
that  he  was  going  away,  came  to  ask  if  they  might  attend  him 
as  usual.  When  they  learned  that  he  was  going  away  for  good 
they  followed  him  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  to  see  him  off. 

"  Kimbo,"  said  his  mother,  "  mind  and  be  a  good  boy." 

"Mr.  Kintaro,"  said  the  faithful  animals,  "we  wish  you 
good  health  on  your  travels." 

Then  they  all  climbed  a  tree  to  see  the  last  of  him,  and 
from  that  height  they  watched  him  and  his  shadow  gradually 
grow  smaller  and  smaller,  till  he  was  lost  to  sight. 

The  general  Sadamitsu  went  on  his  way  rejoicing  at  having 
so  unexpectedly  found  such  a  prodigy  as  Kintaro. 

Having  arrived  at  their  destination  the  general  took 
Kintaro  at  once  to  his  Lord,  Minamoto-no-Raiko,  and  told 
him  all  about  Kintaro  and  how  he  had  found  the  child.  Lord 
Raiko  was  delighted  with  the  story,  and  having  commanded 
Kintaro  to  be  brought  to  him,  made  him  one  of  his  vassals  at 
once. 

Lord  Raiko's  army  was  famous  for  its  band  called  "  The 
Four  Braves."  These  warriors  were  chosen  by  himself  from 
amongst  the  bravest  and  strongest  of  his  soldiers,  and  the 
small  and  well-picked  band  was  distinguished  throughout  the 
whole  of  Japan  for  the  dauntless  courage  of  its  men. 

When  Kintaro  grew  up  to  be  a  man  his  master  made  him 


72 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


the  Chief  of  the  Four  Braves.  He  was  by  far  the  strongest  of 
them  all.  Soon  after  this  event,  news  was  brought  to  the  city 
that  a  cannibal  monster  had  taken  up  his  abode  not  far  away 


Lord  Raiko  ordered  Kintaro  to  the  Rescue. 


and  that  people  were  stricken  with  fear.  Lord  Raiko  ordered 
Kintaro  to  the  rescue.  He  immediately  started  off,  delighted 
at  the  prospect  of  trying  his  sword. 

Surprising  the   monster  in  its   den,   he  made  short   work 


The  Adventures  of  Kintaro,  the  Golden  Boy.     73 

of  cutting  off  its  great  head,  which  he  carried  back  in  triumph 
to  his  master. 

Kintaro  now  rose  to  be  the  greatest  hero  of  his  country, 
and  great  was  the  power  and  honour  and  wealth  that  came  to 
him.  He  now  kept  his  promise  and  built  a  comfortable  home 
for  his  old  mother,  who  lived  happily  with  him  in  the  Capital  to 
the  end  of  her  days. 

Is  not  this  the  story  of  a  great  hero  ? 


f    74    ) 


THE    STORY    OF    PRINCESS    HASE. 

A   Story   of   Old   Japan. 

Many,   many  years  ago  there  lived  in  Nara,  the  ancient 
Capital    of  Japan,   a   wise    State    minister,    by    name    Prince 
Toyonari  Fujiwara.     His  wife  was  a  noble,  good,  and  beauti- 
ful woman  called  Princess  Murasaki  (Violet).     They  had  been 
married  by  their    respective    families    according   to   Japanese 
custom  when  very  young,  and  had  lived  together  happily  ever 
since.     They  had,  however,  one  cause  for  great  sorrow,  for  as 
the  years  went  by  no  child  was  born  to  them.     This  made  them 
very  unhappy,  for  they  both  longed  to  see  a  child  of  their  own 
who  would  grow  up  to  gladden  their  old  age,  carry  on  the  family 
name,  and  keep  up  the  ancestral  rites  when  they  were  dead. 
The   Prince  and  his  lovely  wife,  after  long  consultation  and 
much  thought,  determined  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  the  temple 
of  Hase-no-Kwannon    (Goddess  of  Mercy  at   Hase),  for  they 
believed,  according  to  the  beautiful  tradition  of  their  religion, 
that  the   Mother  of  Mercy,   Kwannon,  comes  to  answer  the 
prayers    of   mortals    in    the    form    that   they  need   the    most. 
Surely  after  all  these  years  of  prayer  she  would  come  to  them 
in  the  form  of  a  beloved  child  in  answer  to  their  special  pil- 
grimage, for  that  was  the  greatest  need  of  their  two  lives. 
Everything  else  they  had  that  this  life  could  give  them,  but 


The  Story  of  Princess  Hase.  75 

it  was  all  as  nothing  because  the    cry  of  their    hearts   was 
unsatisfied. 

So  the  Prince  Toyonari  and  his  wife  went  to  the  temple  of 
Kwannon  at  Hase  and  stayed  there  for  a  long  time,  both  daily 
offering  incense  and  praying  to  Kwannon,  the  Heavenly  Mother, 
to  grant  them  the  desire  of  their  whole  lives.  And  their  prayer 
was  answered. 

A  daughter  was  born  at  last  to  the  Princess  Murasaki, 
and  great  was  the  joy  of  her  heart.  On  presenting  the  child 
to  her  husband  they  both  decided  to  call  her  Hase-Hime,  or 
the  Princess  of  Hase,  because  she  was  the  gift  of  the  Kwannon 
at  that  place.  They  both  reared  her  with  great  care  and 
tenderness,  and  the  child  grew  in  strength  and  beauty. 

When  the  little  girl  was  five  years  old  her  mother  fell 
dangerously  ill  and  all  the  doctors  and  their  medicines  could 
not  save  her.  A  little  before  she  breathed  her  last  she  called 
her  daughter  to  her,  and  gently  stroking  her  head,  said : 

"  Hase-Hime,  do  you  know  that  your  mother  cannot  live 
any  longer  ?  Though  I  die,  you  must  grow  up  a  good  girl. 
Do  your  best  not  to  give  trouble  to  your  nurse  or  any  other  of 
your  family.  Perhaps  your  father  will  marry  again  and  some- 
one will  fill  my  place  as  your  mother.  If  so  do  not  grieve 
for  me,  but  look  upon  your  father's  second  wife  as  your  true 
mother,  and  be  obedient  and  filial  to  both  her  and  your  father. 
Remember  when  you  are  grown  up  to  be  submissive  to  those 
who  are  your  superiors,  and  to  be  kind  to  all  those  who  are 
under  you.  Don't  forget  this.  I  die  with  the  hope  that  you 
will  grow  up  a  model  woman." 

Hase-Hime    listened    in    an   attitude  of   respect  while  her 


76 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


mother  spoke,  and  promised  to  do  all  that  she  was  told. 
There  is  a  proverb  which  says  "  As  the  soul  is  at  three  so  it 
is  at  one  hundred,"  and  so  Hase-Hime  grew  up  as  her  mother 
had  wished,  a  good  and  obedient  little  Princess,  though  she  was 
now  too  young  to  understand  how  great  was  the  loss  of  her 
mother. 

Not  long  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Prince  Toyonari 


Hase-Hime  listened  in  an  Attitude  of  Respect. 

married  again,  a  lady  of  noble  birth  named  Princess  Terute. 
Very  different  in  character,  alas  !  to  the  good  and  wise  Princess 
Murasaki,  this  woman  had  a  cruel,  bad  heart.  She  did  not  love 
her  step-daughter  at  all,  and  was  often  very  unkind  to  the  little 
motherless  girl,  saying  to  herself: 

"  This  is  not  my  child  !  this  is  not  my  child  !  " 
But  Hase-Hime  bore  every  unkindness  with  patience,  and 
even  waited  upon  her  step-mother  kindly  and  obeyed  her  in 


The  Story  of  Princess  Hase.  77 

every  way  and  never  gave  any  trouble,  just  as  she  had  been 
trained  by  her  own  good  mother,  so  that  the  Lady  Terute  had 
no  cause  for  complaint  against  her. 

The  little  Princess  was  very  diligent,  and  her  favourite 
studies  were  music  and  poetry.  She  would  spend  several  hours 
practising  every  day,  and  her  father  had  the  most  proficient  ot 
masters  he  could  find  to  teach  her  the  koto  (Japanese  harp), 
the  art  of  writing  letters  and  verse.  When  she  was  twelve 
years  of  age  she  could  play  so  beautifully  that  she  and  her 
step-mother  were  summoned  to  the  Palace  to  perform  before 
the  Emperor. 

It  was  the  Festival  of  the  Cherry  Flowers,  and  there  were 
great  festivities  at  the  Court.  The  Emperor  threw  himself 
into  the  enjoyment  of  the  season,  and  commanded  that  Princess 
Hase  should  perform  before  him  on  the  koto,  and  that  her 
mother  Princess  Terute  should  accompany  her  on  the  flute. 

The  Emperor  sat  on  a  raised  dais,  before  which  was  hung  a 
curtain  of  finely-sliced  bamboo  and  purple  tassels,  so  that  His 
Majesty  might  see  all  and  not  be  seen,  for  no  ordinary  subject 
was  allowed  to  look  upon  his  sacred  face. 

Hase-Hime  was  a  skilled  musician  though  so  young,  and 
often  astonished  her  masters  by  her  wonderful  memory  and 
talent.  On  this  momentous  occasion  she  played  well.  But 
Princess  Terute,  her  step-mother,  who  was  a  lazy  woman  and 
never  took  the  trouble  to  practise  daily,  broke  down  in  her 
accompaniment  and  had  to  request  one  of  the  Court  ladies  to 
take  her  place.  This  was  a  great  disgrace,  and  she  was 
furiously  jealous  to  think  that  she  had  failed  where  her  step- 
daughter succeeded  ;  and  to  make  matters  worse  the  Emperor 


78  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

sent  many  beautiful  gifts  to  the  little  Princess  to  reward  her 
for  playing  so  well  at  the  Palace. 

There  was  also  now  another  reason  why  Princess  Terute 
hated  her  step-daughter,  for  she  had  had  the  good  fortune  to 
have  a  son  born  to  her,  and  in  her  inmost  heart  she  kept  saying: 

"  If  only  Hase-Hime  were  not  here,  my  son  would  have  all 
the  love  of  his  father." 

And  never  having  learned  to  control  herself,  she  allowed 
this  wicked  thought  to  grow  into  the  awful  desire  of  taking 
her  step-daughter's  life. 

So  one  day  she  secretly  ordered  some  poison  and  poisoned 
some  sweet  wine.  This  poisoned  wine  she  put  into  a  bottle. 
Into  another  similar  bottle  she  poured  some  good  wine.  It 
was  the  occasion  of  the  Boys'  Festival  on  the  fifth  of  May, 
and  Hase-Hime  was  playing  with  her  little  brother.  All  his  toys 
of  warriors  and  heroes  were  spread  out  and  she  was  telling  him 
wonderful  stories  about  each  of  them.  They  were  both  enjoying 
themselves  and  laughing  merrily  with  their  attendants  when 
his  mother  entered  with  the  two  bottles  of  wine  and  some 
delicious  cakes. 

"  You  are  both  so  good  and  happy,"  said  the  wicked 
Princess  Terute  with  a  smile,  "that  I  have  brought  you  some 
sweet  wine  as  a  reward — and  here  are  some  nice  cakes  for  my 
good  children." 

And  she  filled  two  cups  from  the  different  bottles. 

Hase-Hime,  never  dreaming  of  the  dreadful  part  her  step- 
mother was  acting,  took  one  of  the  cups  of  wine  and  gave  to 
her  little  step-brother  the  other  that  had  been  poured  out 
for  him. 


The  Story  of  Princess  Hase.  79 

The  wicked  woman  had  carefully  marked  the  poisoned 
bottle,  but  on  coming  into  the  room  she  had  grown  nervous, 
and  pouring  out  the  wine  hurriedly  had  unconsciously  given 
the  poisoned  cup  to  her  own  child.  All  this  time  she  was 
anxiously  watching  the  little  Princess,  but  to  her  amazement 
no  change  whatever  took  place  in  the  young  girl's  face. 
Suddenly  the  little  boy  screamed  and  threw  himself  on  the 
floor,  doubled  up  with  pain.  His  mother  flew  to  him,  taking 
the  precaution  to  upset  the  two  tiny  jars  of  wine  which  she  had 
brought  into  the  room,  and  lifted  him  up.  The  attendants  rushed 
for  the  doctor,  but  nothing  could  save  the  child — he  died  within 
the  hour  in  his  mother's  arms.  Doctors  did  not  know  much 
in  those  ancient  times,  and  it  was  thought  that  the  wine  had 
disagreed  with  the  boy,  causing  convulsions  of  which  he  died. 

Thus  was  the  wicked  woman  punished  in  losing  her  own 
child  when  she  had  tried  to  do  away  with  her  step-daughter  ; 
but  instead  of  blaming  herself  she  began  to  hate  Hase-Hime 
more  than  ever  in  the  bitterness  and  wretchedness  of  her  own 
heart,  and  she  eagerly  watched  for  an  opportunity  to  do  her 
harm,  which  was,   nowever,  long  in  coming. 

When  Hase-Hime  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  she  had  already 
become  mentioned  as  a  poetess  of  some  merit.  This  was  an 
accomplishment  very  much  cultivated  by  the  women  of  old 
Japan  and  one  held  in  high  esteem. 

It  was  the  rainy  season  at  Nara,  and  floods  were  reported 
every  day  as  doing  damage  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  river 
Tatsuta,  which  flowed  through  the  Imperial  Palace  grounds, 
was  swollen  to  the  top  of  its  banks,  and  the  roaring  of  the 
torrents  of  water  rushing  along  a  narrow  bed  so  disturbed  the 


80  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Emperor's  rest  day  and  night,  that  a  serious  nervous  disorder 
was  the  result.  An  Imperial  Edict  was  sent  forth  to  all  the 
Buddhist  temples  commanding  the  priests  to  offer  up  continuous 
prayers  to  Heaven  to  stop  the  noise  of  the  flood.  But  this  was 
of  no  avail. 

Then  it  was  whispered  in  Court  circles  that  the  Princess 
Hase,  the  daughter  of  Prince  Toyonari  Fujiwara,  second 
minister  at  Court,  was  the  most  gifted  poetess  of  the  day,  though 
still  so  young,  and  her  masters  confirmed  the  report.  Long 
ago,  a  beautiful  and  gifted  maiden-poetess  had  moved  Heaven 
by  praying  in  verse,  had  brought  down  rain  upon  a  land 
famished  with  drought — so  said  the  ancient  biographers  of  the 
poetess  Ono-no-Komachi.  If  the  Princess  Hase  were  to  write 
a  poem  and  offer  it  in  prayer,  might  it  not  stop  the  noise  of  the 
rushing  river  and  remove  the  cause  of  the  Imperial  illness  ? 
What  the  Court  said  at  last  reached  the  ears  of  the  Emperor 
himself,  and  he  sent  an  order  to  the  minister  Prince  Toyonari 
to  this  effect. 

Great  indeed  was  Hase-Hime's  fear  and  astonishment  when 
her  father  sent  for  her  and  told  her  what  was  required  of  her. 
Heavy,  indeed,  was  the  duty  that  was  laid  on  her  young 
shoulders — that  of  saving  the  Emperor's  life  by  the  merit  of 
her  verse. 

At  last  the  day  came  and  her  poem  was  finished.  It  was 
written  on  a  leaflet  of  paper  heavily  flecked  with  gold-dust. 
With  her  father  and  attendants  and  some  of  the  Court  officials, 
she  proceeded  to  the  bank  of  the  roaring  torrent  and  raising  up 
her  heart  to  Heaven,  she  read  the  poem  she  had  composed, 
aloud,  lifting  it  heavenwards  in  her  two  hands. 


The  Story  of  Princess  Hase. 


81 


Strange  indeed  it  seemed  to  all  those  standing  round.  The 
waters  ceased  their  roaring,  and  the  river  was  quiet  in  direct 
answer  to  her  prayer.  After  this  the  Emperor  soon  recovered 
his  health. 

His  Majesty  was  highly  pleased,  and  sent  for  her  to  the 


Her  Father  sent  for  her,  and  told  her  what  was  Required  of  her. 

Palace  and  rewarded  her  with  the  rank  of  Chinjo — that  of 
Lieutenant-General — to  distinguish  her.  From  that  time  she 
was  called  Chinjo-hime,  or  the  Lieutenant-General  Princess, 
and  respected  and  loved  by  all. 

There    was    only   one    person    who   was    not    pleased    at 

F.B.  G 


82  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Hase-Hime's  success.  That  one  was  her  step-mother.  Forever 
brooding  over  the  death  of  her  own  child  whom  she  had  killed 
when  trying  to  poison  her  step-daughter,  she  had  the  morti- 
fication of  seeing  her  rise  to  power  and  honour,  marked  by 
Imperial  favour  and  the  admiration  of  the  whole  Court.  Her 
envy  and  jealousy  burned  in  her  heart  like  fire.  Many  were 
the  lies  she  carried  to  her  husband  about  Hase-Hime,  but  all  to 
no  purpose.  He  would  listen  to  none  of  her  tales,  telling  her 
sharply  that  she  was  quite  mistaken. 

At  last  the  step-mother,  seizing  the  opportunity  of  her 
husband's  absence,  ordered  one  of  her  old  servants  to  take 
the  innocent  girl  to  the  Hibari  Mountains,  the  wildest  part  ol 
the  country,  and  to  kill  her  there.  She  invented  a  dreadful 
story  about  the  little  Princess,  saying  that  this  was  the  only 
way  to  prevent  disgrace  falling  upon  the  family — by  killing  her. 

Katoda,  her  vassal,  was  bound  to  obey  his  mistress. 
Anyhow,  he  saw  that  it  would  be  the  wisest  plan  to  pretend 
obedience  in  the  absence  of  the  girl's  father,  so  he  placed 
Hase-Hime  in  a  palanquin  and  accompanied  her  to  the  most 
solitary  place  he  could  find  in  the  wild  district.  The  poor 
child  knew  there  was  no  good  in  protesting  to  her  unkind  step- 
mother at  being  sent  away  in  this  strange  manner,  so  she 
went  as  she  was  told. 

But  the  old  servant  knew  that  the  young  Princess  was  quite 
innocent  of  all  the  things  her  step-mother  had  invented  to  him 
as  reasons  for  her  outrageous  orders,  and  he  determined  to 
save  her  life.  Unless  he  killed  her,  however,  he  could  not 
return  to  his  cruel  task-mistress,  so  he  decided  to  stay  out  in 
the  wilderness.     With  the  help  of  some  peasants  he  soon  built 


The  Story  of  Princess  Hase.  83 

a  little  cottage,  and  having  sent  secretly  for  his  wife  to  come, 
these  two  good  old  people  did  all  in  their  power  to  take  care 
of  the  now  unfortunate  Princess.  She  all  the  time  trusted  in 
her  father,  knowing  that  as  soon  as  he  returned  home  and 
found  her  absent,  he  would  search  for  her. 

Prince  Toyonari,  after  some  weeks,  came  home,  and  was 
told  by  his  wife  that  his  daughter  Hase-Hime  had  done  some- 
thing wrong  and  had  run  away  for  fear  of  being  punished. 
He  was  nearly  ill  with  anxiety.  Everyone  in  the  house  told 
the  same  story — that  Hase-Hime  had  suddenly  disappeared, 
none  of  them  knew  why  or  whither.  For  fear  of  scandal  he  kept 
the  matter  quiet  and  searched  everywhere  he  could  think  of, 
but  all  to  no  purpose. 

One  day,  trying  to  forget  his  terrible  worry,  he  called  all 
his  men  together  and  told  them  to  make  ready  for  a  several 
days'  hunt  in  the  mountains.  They  were  soon  ready  and 
mounted,  waiting  at  the  gate  for  their  lord.  He  rode. hard  and 
fast  to  the  district  of  the  Hibari  Mountains,  a  great  company 
following  him.  He  was  soon  far  ahead  of  everyone,  and  at 
last  found  himself  in  a  narrow  picturesque  valley. 

Looking  round  and  admiring  the  scenery,  he  noticed  a  tiny 
house  on  one  of  the  hills  quite  near,  and  then  he  distinctly 
heard  a  beautiful  clear  voice  reading  aloud.  Seized  with 
curiosity  as  to  who  could  be  studying  so  diligently  in  such  a 
lonely  spot,  he  dismounted,  and  leaving  his  horse  to  his 
groom,  he  walked  up  the  hillside  and  approached  the  cottage. 
As  he  drew  nearer  his  surprise  increased,  for  he  could  see 
that  the  reader  was  a  beautiful  girl.  The  cottage  was 
wide   open   and   she   was   sitting  facing  the   view.     Listening 

G  2 


84 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


attentively,  he  heard  her  reading  the  Buddhist  scriptures  with 
great  devotion.  More  and  more  curious,  he  hurried  on  to  the 
tiny  gate  and  entered  the  little  garden,  and  looking  up  beheld 


l'aken  by  Surprise,  she  could  hardly  realise  that  it  was  her  Father. 

his  lost  daughter  Hase-Hime.  She  was  so  intent  on  what  she 
was  saying  that  she  neither  heard  nor  saw  her  father  till  he 
spoke. 

"  Hase-Hime  !  "  he  cried,  "  it  is  you,  my  Hase-Hime  !  " 
Taken  by  surprise,  she  could  hardly  realise  that  it  was  her 


The  Story  of  Princess  Hase.  85 

own   dear  father  who  was   calling  her,  and  for  a  moment  she 
was  utterly  bereft  of  the  power  to  speak  or  move. 

"  My  father,  my  father !  It  is  indeed  you — oh,  my  father  !  " 
was  all  she  could  say,  and  running  to  him  she  caught  hold  of 
his  thick  sleeve,  and  burying  her  face  burst  into  a  passion  of 
tears. 

Her  father  stroked  her  dark  hair,  asking  her  gently  to  tell 
him  all  that  had  happened,  but  she  only  wept  on,  and  he 
wondered  if  he  were  not  really  dreaming. 

Then  the  faithful  old  servant  Katoda  came  out,  and  bowing 
himself  to  the  ground  before  his  master,  poured  out  the  long 
tale  of  wrong,  telling  him  all  that  had  happened,  and  how  it 
was  that  he  found  his  daughter  in  such  a  wild  and  desolate 
spot  with  only  two  old  servants  to  take  care  of  her. 

The  Prince's  astonishment  and  indignation  knew  no  bounds. 
He  gave  up  the  hunt  at  once  and  hurried  home  with  his 
daughter.  One  of  the  company  galloped  ahead  to  inform  the 
household  of  the  glad  news,  and  the  step-mother  hearing  what 
had  happened,  and  fearful  of  meeting  her  husband  now  that 
her  wickedness  was  discovered,  fled  from  the  house  and 
returned  in  disgrace  to  her  father's  roof,  and  nothing  more  was 
heard  of  her. 

The  old  servant  Katoda  was  rewarded  with  the  highest 
promotion  in  his  master's  service,  and  lived  happily  to  the  end 
of  his  days,  devoted  to  the  little  Princess,  who  never  forgot 
that  she  owed  her  life  to  this  faithful  retainer.  She  was  no 
longer  troubled  by  an  unkind  step-mother,  and  her  days  passed 
happily  and  quietly  with  her  father. 

As  Prince  Toyonari  had  no  son,  he  adopted  a  younger  son 


86  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

of  one  of  the  Court  nobles  to  be  his  heir,  and  to  marry  his 
daughter  Hase-Hime,  and  in  a  few  years  the  marriage  took 
place.  Hase-Hime  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  and  all  said  that 
she  was  the  wisest,  most  devout,  and  most  beautiful  mistress 
that  had  ever  reigned  in  Prince  Toyonari's  ancient  house. 
She  had  the  joy  of  presenting  her  son,  the  future  lord  of  the 
family,  to  her  father  just  before  be  retired  from  active  life. 

To  this  day  there  is  preserved  a  piece  of  needlework  in  one 
of  the  Buddhist  temples  of  Kioto.  It  is  a  beautiful  piece  of 
tapestry,  with  the  figure  of  Buddha  embroidered  in  the  silky 
threads  drawn  from  the  stem  of  the  lotus.  This  is  said  to 
have  been  the  work  of  the  hands  of  the  good  Princess  Hase. 


(    87     ) 


THE    STORY    OF    THE    MAN    WHO    DID    NOT 
WISH    TO    DIE. 

Long,  long  ago  there  lived  a  man  called  Sentaro.  His 
surname  meant  "  Millionaire,"  but  although  he  was  not  so 
rich  as  all  that,  he  was  still  very  far  removed  from  being  poor. 
He  had  inherited  a  small  fortune  from  his  father  and  lived  on 
this,  spending  his  time  carelessly,  without  any  serious  thoughts 
of  work,  till  he  was  about  thirty-two  years  of  age. 

One  day,  without  any  reason  whatsoever,  the  thought  of 
death  and  sickness  came  to  him.  The  idea  of  falling  ill  or 
dying  made  him  very  wretched. 

"  I  should  like  to  live,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  till  I  am  five 
or  six  hundred  years  old  at  least,  free  from  all  sickness.  The 
ordinary  span  of  a  man's  life  is  very  short." 

He  wondered  whether  it  were  possible,  by  living  simply 
and  frugally  henceforth,  to  prolong  his  life  as  long  as  he 
wished. 

He  knew  there  were  many  stories  in  ancient  history  of 
emperors  who  had  lived  a  thousand  years,  and  there  was  a 
Princess  of  Yamato,  who  it  was  said,  lived  to  the  age  of  five 
hundred.  This  was  the  latest  story  of  a  very  long  life  on 
record. 

Sentaro  had  often  heard  the  tale  of  the  Chinese  King 
named   Shin-no-Shiko.      He  was   one   of  the   most  able  and 


88  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

powerful  rulers  in  Chinese  history.  He  built  all  the  large 
palaces,  and  also  the  famous  great  wall  of  China.  He  had 
everything  in  the  world  he  could  wish  for,  but  in  spite  of  all 
his  happiness,  and  the  luxury  and  splendour  of  his  Court,  the 
wisdom  of  his  councillors  and  the  glory  of  his  reign,  he  was 
miserable  because  he  knew  that  one  day  he  must  die  and 
leave  it  all. 

When  Shin-no-Shiko  went  to  bed  at  night,  when  he  rose 
in  the  morning,  as  he  went  through  his  day,  the  thought  of 
death  was  always  with  him.  He  could  not  get  away  from  it. 
Ah — if  only  he  could  find  the  "  Elixir  of  Life,"  he  would  be 
happy. 

The  Emperor  at  last  called  a  meeting  of  his  courtiers  and 
asked  them  all  if  they  could  not  find  for  him  the  "  Elixir  of 
Life  "  of  which  he  had  so  often  read  and  heard. 

One  old  courtier,  Jofuku  by  name,  said  that  far  away  across 
the  seas  there  was  a  country  called  Horaizan,  and  that  certain 
hermits  lived  there  who  possessed  the  secret  of  the  "  Elixir  of 
Life."  Whoever  drank  of  this  wonderful  draught  lived  for 
ever. 

The  Emperor  ordered  Jofuku  to  set  out  for  the  land  of 
Horaizan,  to  find  the  hermits,  and  to  bring  him  back  a  phial  of 
the  magic  elixir.  He  gave  Jofuku  one  of  his  best  junks,  fitted 
it  out  for  him,  and  loaded  it  with  great  quantities  of  treasures 
and  precious  stones  for  Jofuku  to  take  as  presents  to  the 
hermits. 

Jofuku  sailed  for  the  land  of  Horaizan,  but  he  never  returned 
to  the  waiting  Emperor  ;  but  ever  since  that  time  Mount  Fuji 
has  been  said   to  be  the  fabled   Horaizan  and  the   home   of 


The  Story  of  the  Man  who  did  not  Wish  to  Die.  89 

hermits  who  had  the  secret  of  the  elixir,  and  Jofuku  has  been 
worshipped  as  their  patron  god. 

Now  Sentaro  determined  to  set  out  to  find  the  hermits,  and 
if  he  could,  to  become  one,  so  that  he  might  obtain  the  water 
of  perpetual  life.  He  remembered  that  as  a  child  he  had  been 
told  that  not  only  did  these  hermits  live  on  Mount  Fuji,  but 
that  they  were  said  to  inhabit  all  the  very  high  peaks. 

So  he  left  his  old  home  to  the  care  of  his  relatives,  and 
started  out  on  his  quest.  He  travelled  through  all  the 
mountainous  regions  of  the  land,  climbing  to  the  tops  of  the 
highest  peaks,  but  never  a  hermit  did  he  find. 

At  last,  after  wandering  in  an  unknown  region  for  many 
days,  he  met  a  hunter. 

"Can  you  tell  me,"  asked  Sentaro,  "where  the  hermits 
live  who  have  the  Elixir  of  Life  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  hunter  ;  "  I  can't  tell  you  where  such 
hermits  live,  but  there  is  a  notorious  robber  living  in  these 
parts.  It  is  said  that  he  is  chief  of  a  band  of  two  hundred 
followers." 

This  odd  answer  irritated  Sentaro  very  much,  and  he  thought 
how  foolish  it  was  to  waste  more  time  in  looking  for  the 
hermits  in  this  way,  so  he  decided  to  go  at  once  to  the  shrine 
of  Jofuku,  who  is  worshipped  as  the  patron  god  of  the  hermits 
in  the  South  of  Japan. 

Sentaro  reached  the  shrine  and  prayed  for  seven  days, 
entreating  Jofuku  to  show  him  the  way  to  a  hermit  who  could 
give  him  what  he  wanted  so  much  to  find. 

At  midnight  of  the  seventh  day,  as  Sentaro  knelt  in  the 
temple,  the  door  of  the  innermost  shrine  flew  open,  and  Jofuku 


90  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

appeared  in  a  luminous  cloud,  and  calling  to  Sentaro  to  come 
nearer,  spoke  thus  : 

"  Your  desire  is  a  very  selfish  one  and  cannot  be  easily 
granted.  You  think  that  you  would  like  to  become  a  hermit 
so  as  to  find  the  Elixir  of  Life.  Do  you  know  how  hard  a 
hermit's  life  is  ?  A  hermit  is  only  allowed  to  eat  fruit  and 
berries  and  the  bark  of  pine  trees  ;  a  hermit  must  cut  himself 
off  from  the  world  so  that  his  heart  may  become  as  pure  as 
gold  and  free  from  every  earthly  desire.  Gradually  after 
following  these  strict  rules,  the  hermit  ceases  to  feel  hunger 
or  cold  or  heat,  and  his  body  becomes  so  light  that  he  can  ride 
on  a  crane  or  a  carp,  and  can  walk  on  water  without  getting 
his  feet  wet. 

"  You,  Sentaro,  are  fond  of  good  living  and  of  every  comfort. 
You  are  not  even  like  an  ordinary  man,  for  you  are  exception- 
ally idle,  and  more  sensitive  to  heat  and  cold  than  most  people. 
You  would  never  be  able  to  go  barefoot  or  to  wear  only  one 
thin  dress  in  the  winter  time  !  Do  you  think  that  you  would 
ever  have  the  patience  or  the  endurance  to  live  a  hermit's  life  ? 

"  In  answer  to  your  prayer,  however,  I  will  help  you  in 
another  way.  I  will  send  you  to  the  country  of  Perpetual  Life, 
where  death  never  comes — where  the  people  live  for  ever  !  " 

Saying  this,  Jofuku  put  into  Sentaro's  hand  a  little  crane 
made  of  paper,  telling  him  to  sit  on  its  back  and  it  would  carry 
him  there. 

Sentaro  obeyed  wonderingly.  The  crane  grew  large 
enough  for  him  to  ride  on  it  with  comfort.  It  then  spread  its 
wings,  rose  high  in  the  air,  and  flew  away  over  the  mountains 
right  out  to  sea. 


The  Story  of  the  Man  who  did  not  Wish  to  Die.  91 

Sentaro  was  at  first  quite  frightened  ;  but  by  degrees  he 
grew  accustomed  to  the  swift  flight  through  the  air.     On  and 


The  Crane  flew  away,  right  out  to  Sea. 


on  they  went  for  thousands  of  miles.  The  bird  never  stopped 
for  rest  or  food,  but  as  it  was  a  paper  bird  it  doubtless  did  not 
require  any  nourishment,  and  strange  to  say,  neither  did  Sentaro. 


92  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

After  several  days  they  reached  an  island.  The  crane  flew 
some  distance  inland  and  then  alighted. 

As  soon  as  Sentaro  got  down  from  the  bird's  back,  the 
crane  folded  up  of  its  own  accord  and  flew  into  his  pocket. 

Now  Sentaro  began  to  look  about  him  wonderingly,  curious 
to  see  what  the  country  of  Perpetual  Life  was  like.  He  walked 
first  round  about  the  country  and  then  through  the  town. 
Everything  was,  of  course,  quite  strange,  and  different  from  his 
own  land,  But  both  the  land  and  the  people  seemed  pros- 
perous, so  he  decided  that  it  would  be  good  for  him  to  stay 
there  and  took  up  lodgings  at  one  of  the  hotels. 

The  proprietor  was  a  kind  man,  and  when  Sentaro  told 
him  that  he  was  a  stranger  and  had  come  to  live  there,  he 
promised  to  arrange  everything  that  was  necessary  with  the 
governor  of  the  city  concerning  Sentaro's  sojourn  there.  He 
even  found  a  house  for  his  guest,  and  in  this  way  Sentaro 
obtained  his  great  wish  and  became  a  resident  in  the  country 
of  Perpetual  Life. 

Within  the  memory  of  all  the  islanders  no  man  had  ever 
died  there,  and  sickness  was  a  thing  unknown.  Priests  had 
come  over  from  India  and  China  and  told  them  of  a  beautiful 
country  called  Paradise,  where  happiness  and  bliss  and  con- 
tentment fill  all  men's  hearts,  but  its  gates  could  only  be 
reached  by  dying.  This  tradition  was  handed  down  for  ages 
from  generation  to  generation — but  none  knew  exactly  what 
death  was  except  that  it  led  to  Paradise. 

Quite  unlike  Sentaro  and  other  ordinary  people,  instead  of 
having  a  great  dread  of  death,  they  all,  both  rich  and  poor, 
longed  for   it  as  something  good  and  desirable.     They  were 


The  Story  of  the  Man  who  did  not  Wish  to  Die.  93 

all  tired  of  their  long,  long  lives,  and  longed  to  go  to  the 
happy  land  of  contentment  called -Paradise  of  which  the  priests 
had  told  them  centuries  ago. 

All  this  Sentaro  soon  found  out  by  talking  to  the  islanders. 
He  found  himself,  according  to  his  ideas,  in  the  land  ol 
Topsyturvydom.  Everything  was  upside  down.  He  had 
wished  to  escape  from  dying.  He  had  come  to  the  land  of 
Perpetual  Life  with  great  relief  and  joy,  only  to  find  that  the 
inhabitants  themselves,  doomed  never  to  die,  would  consider  it 
bliss  to  find  death. 

What  he  had  hitherto  considered  poison  these  people  ate 
as  good  food,  and  all  the  things  to  which  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed as  food  they  rejected.  Whenever  any  merchants  from 
other  countries  arrived,  the  rich  people  rushed  to  them  eager 
to  buy  poisons.  These  they  swallowed  eagerly  hoping  for 
death  to  come  so  that  they  might  go  to  Paradise. 

But  what  were  deadly  poisons  in  other  lands  were  without 
effect  in  this  strange  place,  and  people  who  swallowed  them 
with  the  hope  of  dying,  only  found  that  in  a  short  time  they 
felt  better  in  health  instead  of  worse. 

Vainly  they  tried  to  imagine  what  death  could  be  like. 
The  wealthy  would  have  given  all  their  money  and  all  their 
goods  if  they  could  but  shorten  their  lives  to  two  or  three 
hundred  years  even.  Without  any  change  to  live  on  for  ever 
seemed  to  this  people  wearisome  and  sad. 

In  the  chemist-shops  there  was  a  drug  which  was  in  con- 
stant demand,  because  after  using  it  for  a  hundred  years,  it  was 
supposed  to  turn  the  hair  slightly  grey  and  to  bring  about 
disorders  of  the  stomach. 


94  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Sentaro  was  astonished  to  find  that  the  poisonous  globe-fish 
was  served  up  in  restaurants  as  a  delectable  dish,  and  hawkers 
in  the  streets  went  about  selling  sauces  made  of  Spanish  flies. 
He  never  saw  anyone  ill  after  eating  these  horrible  things,  nor 
did  he  ever  see  anyone  with  as  much  as  a  cold. 

Sentaro  was  delighted.  He  said  to  himself  that  he  would 
never  grow  tired  of  living,  and  that  he  considered  it  profane  to 
wish  for  death.  He  was  the  only  happy  man  on  the  island. 
For  his  part  he  wished  to  live  thousands  of  years  and  to  enjoy 
life.  He  set  himself  up  in  business,  and  for  the  present  never 
even  dreamed  of  going  back  to  his  native  land. 

As  years  went  by,  however,  things  did  not  go  as  smoothly  as 
at  first.  He  had  heavy  losses  in  business,  and  several  times 
some  affairs  went  wrong  with  his  neighbours.  This  caused 
him  great  annoyance. 

Time  passed  like  the  flight  of  an  arrow  for  him,  for  he  was 
busy  from  morning  till  night.  Three  hundred  years  went  by 
in  this  monotonous  way,  and  then  at  last  he  began  to  grow 
tired  of  life  in  this  country,  and  he  longed  to  see  his  own  land 
and  his  old  home.  However  long  he  lived  here,  life  would 
always  be  the  same,  so  was  it  not  foolish  and  wearisome  to 
stay  on  here  for  ever  ? 

Sentaro,  in  his  wish  to  escape  from  the  country  of  Perpetual 
Life,  recollected  Jofuku,  who  had  helped  him  before  when  he 
was  wishing  to  escape  from  death — and  he  prayed  to  the  saint 
to  bring  him  back  to  his  own  land  again. 

No  sooner  did  he  pray  than  the  paper  crane  popped  out  of 
his  pocket.  Sentaro  was  amazed  to  see  that  it  had  remained 
undamaged  after  all  these  years.     Once  more  the  bird  grew 


The  Story  of  the  Man  who  did  not  Wish  to  Die.   95 

and  grew  till  it  was  large  enough  for  him  to  mount  it.  As  he 
did  so,  the  bird  spread  its  wings  and  flew  swiftly  out  across  the 
sea  in  the  direction  of  Japan. 

Such  was   the    wilfulness    of  the   man's    nature    that    he 
looked  back  and  regretted  all  he  had  left  behind.     He  tried  to 


ft* 


■     > Www-1    /rs^s^v;:-'--.- 


^■:~ 


He  Screamed  out  to  Jofuku  to  come  and  Rescue  him. 

stop  the  bird  in  vain.     The  crane  held  on  its  way  for  thousands 
of  miles  across  the  ocean. 

Then  a  storm  came  on,  and  the  wonderful  paper  crane  got 
damp,  crumpled  up,  and  fell  into  the  sea.  Sentaro  fell  with  it. 
Very  much  frightened  at  the  thought  of  being  drowned,  he 
cried  out  loudly  to  Jofuku  to  save  him.      He  looked  round,  but 


96  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

there  was  no  ship  in  sight.  He  swallowed  a  quantity  of  sea- 
water,  which  only  increased  his  miserable  plight.  While  he 
was  thus  struggling  to  keep  himself  afloat,  he  saw  a  monstrous 
shark  swimming  towards  him.  As  it  came  nearer  it  opened 
its  huge  mouth  ready  to  devour  him.  Sentaro  was  all  but 
paralysed  with  fear  now  that  he  felt  his  end  so  near,  and 
screamed  out  as  loudly  as  ever  he  could  to  Jofuku  to  come  and 
rescue  him. 

Lo,  and  behold,  Sentaro  was  awakened  by  his  own  screams, 
to  find  that  during  his  long  prayer  he  had  fallen  asleep  before 
the  shrine,  and  that  all  his  extraordinary  and  frightful  adven- 
tures had  been  only  a  wild  dream.  He  was  in  a  cold  perspiration 
with  fright,  and  utterly  bewildered. 

Suddenly  a  bright  light  came  towards  him,  and  in  the  light 
stood  a  messenger.  The  messenger  held  a  book  in  his  hand, 
and  spoke  to  Sentaro  : 

"  I  am  sent  to  you  by  Jofuku,  who  in  answer  to  your  prayer, 
has  permitted  you  in  a  dream  to  see  the  land  of  Perpetual  Life. 
But  you  grew  weary  of  living  there,  and  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  return  to  your  native  land  so  that  you  might  die.  Jofuku, 
so  that  he  might  try  you,  allowed  you  to  drop  into  the  sea,  and 
then  sent  a  shark  to  swallow  you  up.  Your  desire  for  death 
was  not  real,  for  even  at  that  moment  you  cried  out  loudly  and 
shouted  for  help. 

"  It  is  also  vain  for  you  to  wish  to  become  a  hermit,  or  to  find 
the  Elixir  of  Life.  These  things  are  not  for  such  as  you — your 
life  is  not  austere  enough.  It  is  best  for  you  to  go  back  to  your 
paternal  home,  and  to  live  a  good  and  industrious  life.  Never 
neglect  to  keep  the  anniversaries  of  your  ancestors,  and  make 


The  Story  of  the  Man  who  did  not  Wish  to  Die.  97 

it  your  duty  to  provide  for  your  children's  future.  Thus  will 
you  live  to  a  good  old  age  and  be  happy,  but  give  up  the  vain 
desire  to  escape  death,  for  no  man  can  do  that,  and  by  this 
time  you  have  surely  found  out  that  even  when  selfish  desires 
are  granted  they  do  not  bring  happiness. 

"  In  this  book  I  give  you  there  are  many  precepts  good  for 
you  to  know — if  you  study  them,  you  will  be  guided  in  the  way 
I  have  pointed  out  to  you." 

The  angel  disappeared  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  speaking, 
and  Sentaro  took  the  lesson  to  heart.  With  the  book  in  his 
hand  he  returned  to  his  old  home,  and  giving  up  all  his  old 
vain  wishes,  tried  to  live  a  good  and  useful  life  and  to  observe 
the  lessons  taught  him  in  the  book,  and  he  and  his  house 
prospered  henceforth. 


F.B.  II 


(     98     ) 


THE  BAMBOO-CUTTER  AND  THE  MOON-CHILD. 

Long,  long  ago,  there  lived  an  old  bamboo  woodcutter. 
He  was  very  poor  and  sad  also,  for  no  child  had  Heaven  sent 
to  cheer  his  old  age,  and  in  his  heart  there  was  no  hope  of  rest 
from  work  till  he  died  and  was  laid  in  the  quiet  grave.  Every 
morning  he  went  forth  into  the  woods  and  hills  wherever  the 
bamboo  reared  its  lithe  green  plumes  against  the  sky.  When 
he  had  made  his  choice,  he  would  cut  down  these  feathers  ot 
the  forest,  and  splitting  them  lengthwise,  or  cutting  them  into 
joints,  would  carry  the  bamboo  wood  home  and  make  it  into 
various  articles  for  the  household,  and  he  and  his  old  wife 
gained  a  small  livelihood  by  selling  them. 

One  morning  as  usual  he  had  gone  out  to  his  work,  and 
having  found  a  nice  clump  of  bamboos,  had  set  to  work  to  cut 
some  of  them  down.  Suddenly  the  green  grove  of  bamboos 
was  flooded  with  a  bright  soft  light,  as  if  the  full  moon  had 
risen  over  the  spot.  Looking  round  in  astonishment,  he  saw 
that  the  brilliance  was  streaming  from  one  bamboo.  The  old 
man,  full  of  wonder,  dropped  his  axe  and  went  towards  the 
light.  On  nearer  approach  he  saw  that  this  soft  splendour 
came  from  a  hollow  in  the  green  bamboo  stem,  and  still  more 
wonderful  to  behold,  in  the  midst  of  the  brilliance  stood  a  tiny 
human  being,  only  three  inches  in  height,  and  exquisitely 
beautiful  in  appearance, 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.       99 


piftMUih' 


Ife  took  the  little  Creature  in  his   Hand. 


H     2 


ioo  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"You  must  be  sent  to  be  my  child,  for  I  find  you  here 
among  the  bamboos  where  lies  my  daily  work,"  said  the  old 
man,  and  taking  the  little  creature  in  his  hand  he  took  it  home 
to  his  wife  to  bring  up.  The  tiny  girl  was  so  exceedingly 
beautiful  and  so  small,  that  the  old  woman  put  her  into  a 
basket  to  safeguard  her  from  the  least  possibility  of  being  hurt 
in  any  way. 

The  old  couple  were  now  very  happy,  for  it  had  been  a  life- 
long regret  that  they  had  no  children  of  their  own,  and  with 
joy  they  now  expended  all  the  love  of  their  old  age  on  the  little 
child  who  had  come  to  them  in  so  marvellous  a  manner. 

From  this  time  on,  the  old  man  often  found  gold  in  the 
notches  of  the  bamboos  when  he  hewed  them  down  and  cut  them 
up  ;  not  only  gold,  but  precious  stones  also,  so  that  by  degrees 
he  became  rich.  He  built  himself  a  fine  house,  and  was  no 
longer  known  as  the  poor  bamboo  woodcutter,  but  as  a  wealthy 
man. 

Three  months  passed  quickly  away,  and  in  that  time  the 
bamboo  child  had,  wonderful  to  say,  become  a  full-grown  girl, 
so  her  foster-parents  did  up  her  hair  and  dressed  her  in  beautiful 
kimonos.  She  was  of  such  wondrous  beauty  that  they  placed 
her  behind  the  screens  like  a  princess,  and  allowed  no  one  to 
see  her,  waiting  upon  her  themselves.  It  seemed  as  if  she 
were  made  of  light,  for  the  house  was  filled  with  a  soft  shining, 
so  that  even  in  the  dark  of  night  it  was  like  daytime.  Her 
presence  seemed  to  have  a  benign  influence  on  those  there. 
Whenever  the  old  man  felt  sad,  he  had  only  to  look  upon  his 
foster-daughter  and  his  sorrow  vanished,  and  he  became  as 
happy  as  when  he  was  a  youth. 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      101 

At  last  the  day  came  for  the  naming  of  their  new-found 
child,  so  the  old  couple  called  in  a  celebrated  name-giver,  and 
he  gave  her  the  name  of  Princess  Moonlight,  because  her  body 
gave  forth  so  much  soft  bright  light  that  she  might  have  been 
a  daughter  of  the  Moon  God. 

For  three  days  the  festival  was  kept  up  with  song  and 
dance  and  music.  All  the  friends  and  relations  of  the  old 
couple  were  present,  and  great  was  their  enjoyment  of  the 
festivities  held  to  celebrate  the  naming  of  Princess  Moonlight. 
Everyone  who  saw  her  declared  that  there  never  had  been 
seen  anyone  so  lovely  ;  all  the  beauties  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  land  would  grow  pale  beside  her,  so  they 
said.  The  fame  of  the  Princess's  loveliness  spread  far  and 
wide,  and  many  were  the  suitors  who  desired  to  win  her  hand, 
or  even  so  much  as  to  see  her. 

Suitors  from  far  and  near  posted  themselves  outside  the 
house,  and  made  little  holes  in  the  fence,  in  the  hope  of  catching 
a  glimpse  of  the  Princess  as  she  went  from  one  room  to  the 
other  along  the  verandah.  They  stayed  there  day  and  night, 
sacrificing  even  their  sleep  for  a  chance  of  seeing  her,  but  all 
in  vain.  Then  they  approached  the  house,  and  tried  to  speak 
to  the  old  man  and  his  wife  or  some  of  the  servants,  but  not 
even  this  was  granted  them. 

Still,  in  spite  of  all  this  disappointment  they  stayed  on  day 
after  day,  and  night  after  night,  and  counted  it  as  nothing,  so 
great  was  their  desire  to  see  the  Princess. 

At  last,  however,  most  of  the  men,  seeing  how  hopeless  their 
quest  was,  lost  heart  and  hope  both,  and  returned  to  their  homes. 
All    except   five    Knights,    whose    ardour    and   determination, 


102  Japanese  Fairy  Book.  •' 

instead  of  waning,  seemed  to  wax  greater  with  obstacles. 
These  five  men  even  went  without  their  meals,  and  took 
snatches  of  whatever  they  could  get  brought  to  them,  so  that 
they  might  always  stand  outside  the  dwelling.  They  stood 
there  in  all  weathers,  in  sunshine  and  in  rain. 

Sometimes  they  wrote  letters  to  the  Princess,  but  no 
answer  was  vouchsafed  to  them.  Then  when  letters  failed 
to  draw  any  reply,  they  wrote  poems  to  her  telling  her  of 
the  hopeless  love  which  kept  them  from  sleep,  from  food,  from 
rest,  and  even  from  their  homes.  Still  Princess  Moonlight 
gave  no  sign  of  having  received  their  verses. 

In  this  hopeless  state  the  winter  passed.  The  snow  and 
frost  and  the  cold  winds  gradually  gave  place  to  the  gentle 
warmth  of  spring.  Then  the  summer  came,  and  the  sun 
burned  white  and  scorching  in  the  heavens  above  and  on  the 
earth  beneath,  and  still  these  faithful  Knights  kept  watch  and 
waited.  At  the  end  of  these  long  months  they  called  out  to  the 
old  bamboo-cutter  and  entreated  him  to  have  some  mercy  upon 
them  and  to  show  them  the  Princess,  but  he  answered  only  that 
as  he  was  not  her  real  father  he  could  not  insist  on  her  obeying 
him  against  her  wishes. 

The  five  Knights  on  receiving  this  stern  answer  returned 
to  their  several  homes,  and  pondered  over  the  best  means  of 
touching  the  proud  Princess's  heart,  even  so  much  as  to  grant 
them  a  hearing.  They  took  their  rosaries  in  hand  and  knelt 
before  their  household  shrines,  and  burned  precious  incense, 
praying  to  Buddha  to  give  them  their  hearts'  desire.  Thus 
several  days  passed,  but  even  so  they  could  not  rest  in  their 
homes. 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      103 

So  again  they  set  out  for  the  bamboo-cutter's  house.  This 
time  the  old  man  came  out  to  see  them,  and  they  asked  him  to 
let  them  know  if  it  was  the  Princess's  resolution  never  to  see 
any  man  whatsoever,  and  they  implored  him  to  speak  for  them 
and  to  tell  her  the  greatness  of  their  love,  and  how  long  they 
had  waited  through  the  cold  of  winter  and  the  heat  of  summer, 
sleepless  and  roofless  through  all  weathers,  without  food  and 
without  rest,  in  the  ardent  hope  of  winning  her,  and  they  were 
willing  to  consider  this  long  vigil  as  pleasure  if  she  would  but 
give  them  one  chance  of  pleading  their  cause  with  her. 

The  old  man  lent  a  willing  ear  to  their  tale  of  love,  for  in 
his  inmost  heart  he  felt  sorry  for  these  faithful  suitors  and 
would  have  liked  to  see  his  lovely  foster-daughter  married  to 
one  of  them.  So  he  went  in  to  Princess  Moonlight  and  said 
reverently  : 

"  Although  you  have  always  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  heavenly 
being,  yet  I  have  had  the  trouble  of  bringing  you  up  as  my 
own  child  and  you  have  been  glad  of  the  protection  of  my  roof. 
Will  you  refuse  to  do  as  I  wish  ?  " 

Then  Princess  Moonlight  replied  that  there  was  nothing 
she  would  not  do  for  him,  that  she  honoured  and  loved  him  as 
her  own  father,  and  that  as  for  herself  she  could  not  remember 
the  time  before  she  came  to  earth. 

The  old  man  listened  with  great  joy  as  she  spoke  these 
dutiful  words.  Then  he  told  her  how  anxious  he  was  to  see 
her  safely  and  happily  married  before  he  died. 

"  I  am  an  old  man,  over  seventy  years  of  age,  and  my 
end  may  come  any  time  now.  It  is  necessary  and  right 
that  you  should  see  these  five  suitors  and  choose  one  of  them," 


104  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  Oh,  why,"  said  the  Princess  in  distress,  "  must  I  do 
this  ?     I  have  no  wish  to  marry  now." 

"  I  found  you,"  answered  the  old  man,  "  many  years  ago, 
when  you  were  a  little  creature  three  inches  high,  in  the  midst 
of  a  great  white  light.  The  light  streamed  from  the  bamboo 
in  which  you  were  hid  and  led  me  to  you.  So  I  have  always 
thought  that  you  were  more  than  mortal  woman.  While  I 
am  alive  it  is  right  for  you  to  remain  as  you  are  if  you  wish  to 
do  so,  but  some  day  I  shall  cease  to  be  and  who  will  take  care 
of  you  then  ?  Therefore  I  pray  you  to  meet  these  five  brave 
men  one  at  a  time  and  make  up  your  mind  to  marry  one  of 
them  !  " 

Then  the  Princess  answered  that  she  felt  sure  that  she  was 
not  as  beautiful  as  perhaps  report  made  her  out  to  be,  and  that 
even  if  she  consented  to  marry  any  one  of  them,  not  really 
knowing  her  before,  his  heart  might  change  afterwards.  So 
as  she  did  not  feel  sure  of  them,  even  though  her  father  told 
her  they  were  worthy  Knights,  she  did  not  feel  it  wise  to  see 
them. 

"All  you  say  is  very  reasonable,"  said  the  old  man,  "  but 
what  kind  of  men  will  you  consent  to  see  ?  I  do  not  call  these 
five  men  who  have  waited  on  you  for  months,  light-hearted. 
They  have  stood  outside  this  house  through  the  winter  and  the 
summer,  often  denying  themselves  food  and  sleep  so  that  they 
may  win  you.     What  more  can  you  demand  ?  " 

Then  Princess  Moonlight  said  she  must  make  further  trial 
of  their  love  before  she  would  grant  their  request  to  interview 
her.  The  five  warriors  were  to  prove  their  love  by  each  bringing 
her  from  distant  countries  something  that  she  desired  to  possess. 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      105 

That  same  evening  the  suitors  arrived  and  began  to  play 
their  flutes  in  turn,  and  to  sing  their  self-composed  songs  telling 
of  their  great  and  tireless  love.  The  bamboo-cutter  went  out 
to  them  and  offered  them  his  sympathy  for  all  they  had 
endured  and  all  the  patience  they  had  shown  in  their  desire  to 
win  his  foster-daughter.  Then  he  gave  them  her  message, 
that  she  would  consent  to  marry  whosoever  was  successful  in 
bringing  her  what  she  wanted.     This  was  to  test  them. 

The  five  all  accepted  the  trial,  and  thought  it  an  excellent 
plan,  for  it  would  prevent  jealousy  between  them. 

Princess  Moonlight  then  sent  word  to  the  First  Knight  that 
she  requested  him  to  bring  her  the  stone  bowl  which  had 
belonged  to  Buddha  in  India. 

The  Second  Knight  was  asked  to  go  to  the  Mountain  of 
Horai,  said  to  be  situated  in  the  Eastern  Sea,  and  to  bring  her 
a  branch  of  the  wonderful  tree  that  grew  on  its  summit.  The 
roots  of  this  tree  were  of  silver,  the  trunk  of  gold,  and  the 
branches  bore  as  fruit  white  jewels. 

The  Third  Knight  was  told  to  go  to  China  and  search  for 
the  fire-rat  and  to  bring  her  its  skin. 

The  Fourth  Knight  was  told  to  search  for  the  dragon  that 
carried  on  its  head  the  stone  radiating  five  colours  and  to  bring 
the  stone  to  her. 

The  Fifth  Knight  was  to  find  the  swallow  which  carried  a 
shell  in  its  stomach  and  to  bring  the  shell  to  her. 

The  old  man  thought  these  very  hard  tasks  and  hesitated 
to  carry  the  messages,  but  the  Princess  would  make  no  other 
conditions.  So  her  commands  were  issued  word  for  word  to 
the  five  men  who,  when  they  heard  what  was  required  of  them, 


106  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

were  all  disheartened  and  disgusted  at  what  seemed  to  them 
the  impossibility  of  the  tasks  given  them  and  returned  to  their 
own  homes  in  despair. 

But  after  a  time,  when  they  thought  of  the  Princess,  the 
love  in  their  hearts  revived  for  her,  and  they  resolved  to  make 
an  attempt  to  get  what  she  desired  of  them. 

The  First  Knight  sent  word  to  the  Princess  that  he  was 
starting  out  that  day  on  the  quest  of  Buddha's  bowl,  and  he 
hoped  soon  to  bring  it  to  her.  But  he  had  not  the  courage  to 
go  all  the  way  to  India,  for  in  those  days  travelling  was  very 
difficult  and  full  of  danger,  so  he  went  to  one  of  the  temples  in 
Kyoto  and  took  a  stone  bowl  from  the  altar  there,  paying  the 
priest  a  large  sum  of  money  for  it.  He  then  wrapped  it  in  a 
cloth  of  gold  and,  waiting  quietly  for  three  years,  returned  and 
carried  it  to  the  old  man. 

Princess  Moonlight  wondered  that  the  Knight  should  have 
returned  so  soon.  She  took  the  bowl  from  its  gold  wrapping, 
expecting  it  to  make  the  room  full  of  light,  but  it  did  not  shine 
at  all,  so  she  knew  that  it  was  a  sham  thing  and  not  the  true 
bowl  of  Buddha.  She  returned  it  at  once  and  refused  to  see 
him.  The  Knight  threw  the  bowl  away  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  despair.  He  gave  up  now  all  hopes  of  ever  winning 
the  Princess. 

The  Second  Knight  told  his  parents  that  he  needed 
change  of  air  for  his  health,  for  he  was  ashamed  to  tell  them 
that  love  for  the  Princess  Moonlight  was  the  real  cause  of  his 
leaving  them.  He  then  left  his  home,  at  the  same  time  sending 
word  to  the  Princess  that  he  was  setting  out  for  Mount  Horai 
in  the  hope  of  getting  her  a  branch  of  the  gold  and  silver  tree 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      107 

which  she  so  much  wished  to  have.  He  only  allowed  his> 
servants  to  accompany  him  half-way,  and  then  sent  them  back. 
He  reached  the  seashore  and  embarked  on  a  small  ship,  and 
after  sailing  away  for  three  days  he  landed  and  employed  several 
carpenters  to  build  him  a  house  contrived  in  such  a  way  that 
no  one  could  get  access  to  it.  He  then  shut  himself  up  with 
six  skilled  jewellers,  and  endeavoured  to  make  such  a  gold  and 
silver  branch  as  he  thought  would  satisfy  the  Princess  as 
having  come  from  the  wonderful  tree  growing  on  Mount 
Horai.  Everyone  whom  he  had  asked  declared  that  Mount 
Horai  belonged  to  the  land  of  fable  and  not  to  fact. 

When  the  branch  was  finished,  he  took  his  journey  home 
and  tried  to  make  himself  look  as  if  he  were  wearied  and  worn 
out  with  travel.  He  put  the  jewelled  branch  into  a  lacquer 
box  and  carried  it  to  the  bamboo-cutter,  begging  him  to  present 
it  to  the  Princess. 

The  old  man  was  quite  deceived  by  the  travel-stained 
appearance  of  the  Knight,  and  thought  that  he  had  only  just 
returned  from  his  long  journey  with  the  branch.  So  he  tried 
to  persuade  the  Princess  to  consent  to  see  the  man.  But  she 
remained  silent  and  looked  very  sad.  The  old  man  began  to 
take  out  the  branch  and  praised  it  as  a  wonderful  treasure 
to  be  found  nowhere  in  the  whole  land.  Then  he  spoke  of 
the  Knight,  how  handsome  and  how  brave  he  was  to  have 
undertaken  a  iourney  to  so  remote  a  place  as  the  Mount 
of  Horai. 

Princess  Moonlight  took  the  branch  in  her  hand  and  looked 
at  it  carefully.  She  then  told  her  foster-parent  that  she  knew 
it  was  impossible  for  the  man  to  have  obtained  a  branch  from 


108  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

the  gold  and  silver  tree  growing  on  Mount  Horai  so  quickly  or 
so  easily,  and  she  was  sorry  to  say  she  believed  it  artificial. 

The  old  man  then  went  out  to  the  expectant  Knight,  who 
had  now  approached  the  house,  and  asked  where  he  had  found 
the  branch.  Then  the  man  did  not  scruple  to  make  up  a  long 
story. 

"  Two  years  ago  I  took  a  ship  and  started  in  search  of 
Mount  Horai.  After  going  before  the  wind  for  some  time  I 
reached  the  far  Eastern  Sea.  Then  a  great  storm  arose  and  I 
was  tossed  about  for  many  days,  losing  all  count  of  the  points 
of  the  compass,  and  finally  we  were  blown  ashore  on  an 
unknown  island.  Here  I  found  the  place  inhabited  by  demons 
who  at  one  time  threatened  to  kill  and  eat  me.  However,  I 
managed  to  make  friends  with  these  horrible  creatures,  and 
they  helped  me  and  my  sailors  to  repair  the  boat,  and  I  set 
sail  again.  Our  food  gave  out,  and  we  suffered  much  from 
sickness  on  board.  At  last,  on  the  five-hundredth  day  from 
the  day  of  starting,  I  saw  far  off  on  the  horizon  what  looked 
like  the  peak  of  a  mountain.  On  nearer  approach,  this  proved 
to  be  an  island,  in  the  centre  of  which  rose  a  high  mountain.  I 
landed,  and  after  wandering  about  for  two  or  three  days,  I  saw 
a  shining  being  coming  towards  me  on  the  beach,  holding  in 
his  hands  a  golden  bowl.  I  went  up  to  him  and  asked  him  if 
I  had,  by  good  chance,  found  the  island  of  Mount  Horai,  and 
he  answered  : 

"  '  Yes,  this  is  Mount  Horai  !  ' 

"  With  much  difficulty  I  climbed  to  the  summit,  where  stood 
the  golden  tree  growing  with  silver  roots  in  the  ground.  The 
wonders  of  that  strange  land  are  many,  and  if  I  began  to  tell 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      109 

you  about  them  I  could  never  stop.  In  spite  of  my  wish  to 
stay  there  long,  on  breaking  off  the  branch  I  hurried  back. 
With  utmost  speed  it  has  taken  me  four  hundred  days  to  get 
back,  and,  as  you  see,  my  clothes  are  still  damp  from  exposure 
on  the  long  sea  voyage.  I  have  not  even  waited  to  change  my 
raiment,  so  anxious  was  I  to  bring  the  branch  to  the  Princess 
quickly." 

Just  at  this  moment  the  six  jewellers,  who  had  been 
employed  on  the  making  of  the  branch,  but  not  yet  paid 
by  the  Knight,  arrived  at  the  house  and  sent  in  a  petition 
to  the  Princess  to  be  paid  for  their  labour.  They  said  that 
they  had  worked  for  over  a  thousand  days  making  the  branch 
of  gold,  with  its  silver  twigs  and  its  jewelled  fruit,  that  was  now 
presented  to  her  by  the  Knight,  but  as  yet  they  had  received 
nothing  in  payment.  So  this  Knight's  deception  was  thus 
found  out,  and  the  Princess,  glad  of  an  escape  from  one  more 
importunate  suitor,  was  only  too  pleased  to  send  back  the 
branch.  She  called  in  the  workmen  and  had  them  paid 
liberally,  and  they  went  away  happy.  But  on  the  way  home 
they  were  overtaken  by  the  disappointed  man,  who  beat  them 
till  they  were  nearly  dead,  for  letting  out  the  secret,  and  they 
barely  escaped  with  their  lives.  The  Knight  then  returned 
home,  raging  in  his  heart ;  and  in  despair  of  ever  winning  the 
Princess  gave  up  society  and  retired  to  a  solitary  life  among 
the  mountains. 

Now  the  Third  Knight  had  a  friend  in  China,  so  he  wrote  to 
him  to  get  the  skin  of  the  fire-rat.  The  virtue  of  any  part  of 
this  animal  was  that  no  fire  could  harm  it.  He  promised  his 
friend  any  amount  of  money  he  liked  to  ask  if  only  he  could 


no  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

get  him  the  desired  article.  As  soon  as  the  news  came  that 
the  ship  on  which  his  friend  had  sailed  home  had  come  into 
port,  he  rode  seven  days  on  horseback  to  meet  him.  He 
handed  his  friend  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  received  the 
fire-rat's  skin.  When  he  reached  home  he  put  it  carefully 
in  a  box  and  sent  it  in  to  the  Princess  while  he  waited  outside 
for  her  answer.*/ 

The  bamboo-cutter  took  the  box  from  the  Knight  and,  as 
usual,  carried  it  in  to  her  and  tried  to  coax  her  to  see  the 
Knight  at  once,  but  Princess  Moonlight  refused,  saying  that 
she  must  first  put  the  skin  to  test  by  putting  it  into  the  fire.  Ir 
it  were  the  real  thing  it  would  not  burn.  So  she  took  off  the 
crape  wrapper  and  opened  the  box,  and  then  threw  the  skin 
into  the  fire.  The  skin  crackled  and  burnt  up  at  once,  and  the 
Princess  knew  that  this  man  also  had  not  fulfilled  his  word. 
So  the  Third  Knight  failed  also. 

Now  the  Fourth  Knight  was  no  more  enterprising  than  the 
rest.  Instead  of  starting  out  on  the  quest  of  the  dragon 
bearing  on  its  head  the  five-colour-radiating  jewel,  he  called 
all  his  servants  together  and  gave  them  the  order  to  seek  for  it 
far  and  wide  in  Japan  and  in  China,  and  he  strictly  forbade 
any  of  them  to  return  till  they  had  found  it. 

His  numerous  retainers  and  servants  started  out  in  different 
directions,  with  no  intention,  however,  of  obeying  what  they 
considered  an  impossible  order.  They  simply  took  a  holiday, 
went  to  pleasant  country  places  together,  and  grumbled  at 
their  master's  unreasonableness. 

The  Knight  meanwhile,  thinking  that  his  retainers  could 
not  fail  to  find  the  jewel,  repaired  to  his  house,  and  fitted  it  up 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      1 1 1 

beautifully  for  the  reception  of  the  Princess,  he  felt  so  sure  of 
winning  her. 

One  year  passed  away  in  weary  waiting,  and  still  his  men 
did  not  return  with  the  dragon-jewel.  The  Knight  became 
desperate.  He  could  wait  no  longer,  so  taking  with  him  only 
two  men,  he  hired  a  ship  and  commanded  the  captain  to  go  in 
search  of  the  dragon  ;  the  captain  and  the  sailors  refused 
to  undertake  what  they  said  was  an  absurd  search,  but  the 
Knight  compelled  them  at  last  to  put  out  to  sea. 

When  they  had  been  but  a  few  days  out  they  encountered 
a  great  storm  which  lasted  so  long  that,  by  the  time  its  fury 
abated,  the  Knight  had  determined  to  give  up  the  hunt  of  the 
dragon.  They  were  at  last  blown  on  shore,  for  navigation  was 
primitive  in  those  days.  Worn  out  with  his  travels  and  anxiety, 
the  fourth  suitor  gave  himself  up  to  rest.  He  had  caught  a 
very  heavy  cold,  and  had  to  go  to  bed  with  a  swollen  face. 

The  governor  of  the  place,  hearing  of  his  plight,  sent 
messengers  with  a  letter  inviting  him  to  his  house.  While 
he  was  there  thinking  over  all  his  troubles,  his  love  for  the 
Princess  turned  to  anger,  and  he  blamed  her  for  all  the  hard- 
ships he  had  undergone.  He  thought  that  it  was  quite  probable 
she  had  wished  to  kill  him  so  that  she  might  be  rid  of  him, 
and  in  order  to  carry  out  her  wish  had  sent  him  upon  his 
impossible  quest. 

At  this  point  all  the  servants  he  had  sent  out  to  find  the 
jewel  came  to  see  him,  and  were  surprised  to  find  praise 
instead  of  displeasure  awaiting  them.  Their  master  told  them 
that  he  was  heartily  sick  of  adventure,  and  said  that  he  never 
intended  to  go  near  the  Princess's  house  again  in  the  future. 


112  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Like  all  the  rest,  the  Fifth  Knight  failed  in  his  quest — he 
could  not  find  the  swallow's  shell. 

By  this  time  the  fame  of  Princess  Moonlight's  beauty  had 
reached  the  ears  of  the  Emperor,  and  he  sent  one  of  the  Court 
ladies  to  see  if  she  were  really  as  lovely  as  report  said ;  if  so 
he  would  summon  her  to  the  Palace  and  make  her  one  of  the 
ladies-in-waiting. 

When  the  Court  lady  arrived,  in  spite  of  her  father's 
entreaties,  Princess  Moonlight  refused  to  see  her.  The 
Imperial  messenger  insisted,  saying  it  was  the  Emperor's 
order.  Then  Princess  Moonlight  told  the  old  man  that  it 
she  were  forced  to  go  to  the  Palace  in  obedience  to  the 
Emperor's   order,  she  would  vanish  from  the  earth. 

When  the  Emperor  was  told  of  her  persistence  in  refusing 
to  obey  his  summons,  and  that  tf  pressed  to  obey  she  would  dis- 
appear altogether  from  sight,  he  determined  to  go  and  see  her. 
So  he  planned  to  go  on  a  hunting  excursion  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  bamboo-cutter's  house,  and  see  the  Princess  himself. 
He  sent  word  to  the  old  man  of  his  intention,  and  he  received 
consent  to  the  scheme.  The  next  day  the  Emperor  set  out 
with  his  retinue,  which  he  soon  managed  to  outride.  He 
found  the  bamboo-cutter's  house  and  dismounted.  He  then 
entered  the  house  and  went  straight  to  where  the  Princess  was 
sitting  with  her  attendant  maidens. 

Never  had  he  seen  anyone  so  wonderfully  beautiful,  and  he 
could  not  but  look  at  her,  for  she  was  more  lovely  than  any 
human  being  as  she  shone  in  her  own  soft  radiance.  When 
Princess  Moonlight  became  aware  that  a  stranger  was  looking 
at  her  she  tried  to  escape  from  the  room,  but  the  EmperSr 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      113 

caught  her  and  begged  her  to  listen  to  what  he  had  to  say. 
Her  only  answer  was  to  hide  her  face  in  her  sleeves. 

The  Emperor  fell  deeply  in  love  with  her,  and  begged  her 
to  come  to  the  Court,  where  he  would  give  her  a  position  of 
honour  and  everything  she  could  wish  for.  He  was  about  to 
send  for  one  of  the  Imperial  palanquins  to  take  her  back  with 
him  at  once,  saying  that  her  grace  and  beauty  should  adorn 
a  Court  and  not  be  hidden  in  a  bamboo-cutter's  cottage. 

But  the  Princess  stopped  him.  She  said  that  if  she  were 
forced  to  go  to  the  Palace  she  would  turn  at  once  into  a  shadow, 
and  even  as  she  spoke  she  began  to  lose  her  form.  Her  figure 
faded  from  his  sight  while  he  looked. 

The  Emperor  then  promised  to  leave  her  free  if  only  she 
would  resume  her  former  shape,  which  she  did. 

It  was  now  time  for  him  to  return,  for  his  retinue  would  be 
wondering  what  had  happened  to  their  Royal  master  when  they 
missed  him  for  so  long.  So  he  bade  her  good-bye,  and  left  the 
house  with  a  sad  heart.  Princess  Moonlight  was  for  him  the 
most  beautiful  woman  in  the  world  ;  all  others  were  dark  beside 
her,  and  he  thought  of  her  night  and  day.  His  Majesty  now 
spent  much  of  his  time  in  writing  poems,  telling  her  of  his'love 
and  devotion,  and  sent  them  to  her,  and  though  she  refused 
to  see  him  again  she  answered  with  many  verses  of  her  own 
composing,  which  told  him  gently  and  kindly  that  she  could 
never  marry  anyone  on  this  earth.  These  little  songs  always 
gave  him  pleasure. 

At  this  time  her  foster-parents  noticed  that  night  after  night 
the  Princess  would  sit  on  her  balcony  and  gaze  for  hours  at  the 
moon,  in  a  spirit  of  the  deepest  dejection,  ending  always  in  a 
f.b.  1 


ii4  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

burst  of  tears.  One  night  the  old  man  found  her  thus  weeping 
as  if  her  heart  were  broken,  and  he  besought  her  to  tell  him  the 
reason  of  her  sorrow. 

With  many  tears  she  told  him  that  he  had  guessed  rightly 
when  he  supposed  her  not  to  belong  to  this  world — that  she  had 
in  truth  come  from  the  moon,  and  that  her  time  on  earth  would 
soon  be  over.  On  the  fifteenth  day  of  that  very  month  of  August 
her  friends  from  the  moon  would  come  to  fetch  her,  and  she 
would  have  to  return.  Her  parents  were  both  there,  but  having 
spent  a  lifetime  on  the  earth  she  had  forgotten  them,  and  also 
the  moon-world  to  which  she  belonged.  It  made  her  weep, 
she  said,  to  think  of  leaving  her  kind  foster-parents,  and  the 
home  where  she  had  been  happy  for  so  long. 

When  her  attendants  heard  this  they  were  very  sad,  and 
could  not  eat  or  drink  for  sadness  at  the  thought  that  the 
Princess  was  so  soon  to  leave  them. 

The  Emperor,  as  soon  as  the  news  was  carried  to  him, 
sent  messengers  to  the  house  to  find  out  if  the  report  were 
true  or  not. 

The  old  bamboo-cutter  went  out  to  meet  the  Imperial 
messengers.  The  last  few  days  of  sorrow  had  told  upon  the 
old  man  ;  he  had  aged  greatly,  and  looked  much  more  than 
his  seventy  years.  Weeping  bitterly,  he  told  them  that  the  report 
was  only  too  true,  but  he  intended,  however,  to  make  prisoners 
of  the  envoys  from  the  moon,  and  to  do  all  he  could  to  prevent 
the  Princess  from  being  carried  back. 

The  men  returned  and  told  His  Majesty  all  that  had  passed. 
On  the  fifteenth  day  of  that  month  the  Emperor  sent  a  guard 
of  two  thousand  warriors  to  watch  the  house.     One  thousand 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      115 

stationed  themselves  on  the  roof,  another  thousand  kept  watch 
round  all  the  entrances  of  the  house.  All  were  well  trained 
archers,  with  bows  and  arrows.  The  bamboo-cutter  and  his 
wife  hid  Princess  Moonlight  in  an  inner  room. 

The  old  man  gave  orders  that  no  one  was  to  sleep  that 
night,  all  in  the  house  were  to  keep  a  strict  watch,  and  be  ready 
to  protect  the  Princess.  With  these  precautions,  and  the  help 
of  the  Emperor's  men-at-arms,  he  hoped  to  withstand  the  moon- 
messengers,  but  the  Princess  told  him  that  all  these  measures 
to  keep  her  would  be  useless,  and  that  when  her  people  came 
for  her  nothing  whatever  could  prevent  them  from  carrying  out 
their  purpose  ;  even  the  Emperor's  men  would  be  powerless. 
Then  she  added  with  tears  that  she  was  very,  very  sorry  to 
leave  him  and  his  wife,  whom  she  had  learnt  to  love  as  her 
parents  ;  that  if  she  could  do  as  she  liked  she  would  stay  with 
them  in  their  old  age,  and  try  to  make  some  return  for  all 
the  love  and  kindness  they  had  showered  upon  her  during 
all  her  earthly  life. 

The  night  wore  on  !  The  yellow  harvest  moon  rose  high  in 
the  heavens,  flooding  the  world  asleep  with  her  golden  light. 
Silence  reigned  over  the  pine  and  the  bamboo  forests,  and  on 
the  roof  where  the  thousand  men-at-arms  waited. 

Then  the  night  grew  grey  towards  the  dawn  and  all  hoped 
that  the  danger  was  over — that  Princess  Moonlight  would  not 
have  to  leave  them  after  all.  Then  suddenly  the  watchers  saw 
a  cloud  form  round  the  moon — and  while  they  looked  this 
cloud  began  to  roll  earthwards.  Nearer  and  nearer  it  came, 
and  everyone  saw  with  dismay  that  its  course  lay  towards  the 
house. 

I  2 


n6  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

In  a  short  time  the  sky  was  entirely  obscured,  till  at  last  the 
cloud  lay  over  the  dwelling  only  ten  feet  off  the  ground.  In  the 
midst  of  the  cloud  there  stood  a  flying  chariot,  and  in  the 
chariot  a  band  of  luminous  beings.  One  amongst  them  who 
looked  like  a  king  and  appeared  to  be  the  chief  stepped 
out  of  the  chariot  and,  poised  in  air,  called  to  the  old  man  to 
come  out. 

"  The  time  has  come,"  he  said,  "  for  Princess  Moonlight 
to  return  to  the  moon  from  whence  she  came.  She  committed 
a  grave  fault,  and  as  a  punishment  was  sent  to  live  down  here 
for  a  time.  We  know  what  good  care  you  have  taken  of  the 
Princess,  and  we  have  rewarded  you  for  this  and  have  sent  you 
wealth  and  prosperity.  We  put  the  gold  in  the  bamboos  for 
you  to  find." 

"  I  have  brought  up  this  Princess  for  twenty  years  and 
never  once  has  she  done  a  wrong  thing,  therefore  the  lady  you 
are  seeking  cannot  be  this  one,"  said  the  old  man.  "  I  pray 
you  to  look  elsewhere." 

Then  the  messenger  called  aloud,  saying  : 

"  Princess  Moonlight,  come  out  from  this  lowly  dwelling. 
Rest  not  here  another  moment." 

At  these  words  the  screens  of  the    Princess's    room    slid 
.open  of  their  own  accord,  revealing  the  Princess  shining  in  her 
own  radiance,  bright  and  wonderful  and  full  of  beauty. 

The  messenger  led  her  forth  and  placed  her  in  the  chariot. 
She  looked  back,  and  saw  with  pity  the  deep  sorrow  of  the  old 
man.  She  spoke  to  him  many  comforting  words,  and  told  him 
that  it  was  not  her  will  to  leave  him  and  that  he  must  always 
think  of  her  when  looking  at  the  moon. 


The  Bamboo-Cutter  and  the  Moon-Child.      117 


"^ 


-  AV;^Mft^.\\\\\\V\1 


The  Screens  slid  open,  revealing  the  Prince 


u8  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

The  bamboo-cutter  implored  to  be  allowed  to  accompany 
her,  but  this  was  not  allowed.  The  Princess  took  off  her 
embroidered  outer  garment  and  gave  it  to  him  as  a  keepsake. 

One  of  the  moon  beings  in  the  chariot  held  a  wonderful 
coat  of  wings,  another  had  a  phial  full  of  the  Elixir  of  Life 
which  was  given  the  Princess  to  drink.  She  swallowed  a  little 
and  was  about  to  give  the  rest  to  the  old  man,  but  she  was 
prevented  from  doing  so. 

The  robe  of  wings  was  about  to  be  put  upon  her  shoulders, 
but  she  said  : 

"  Wait  a  little.  I  must  not  forget  my  good  friend  the 
Emperor.  I  must  write  him  once  more  to  say  good-bye  while 
still  in  this  human  form." 

In  spite  of  the  impatience  of  the  messengers  and  charioteers 
she  kept  them  waiting  while  she  wrote.  She  placed  the  phial 
of  the  Elixir  of  Life  with  the  letter,  and,  giving  them  to  the 
old  man,  she  asked  him  to  deliver  them  to  the  Emperor. 

Then  the  chariot  began  to  roll  heavenwards  towards  the 
moon,  and  as  they  all  gazed  with  tearful  eyes  at  the  receding 
Princess,  the  dawn  broke,  and  in  the  rosy  light  of  day  the 
moon-chariot  and  all  in  it  were  lost  amongst  the  fleecy  clouds 
that  were  now  wafted  across  the  sky  on  the  wings  of  the 
morning  wind. 

Princess  Moonlight's  letter  was  carried  to  the  Palace.  His 
Majesty  was  afraid  to  touch  the  Elixir  of  Life,  so  he  sent  it 
with  the  letter  to  the  top  of  the  most  sacred  mountain  in  the 
land,  Mount  Fuji,  and  there  the  Royal  emissaries  burnt  it  on 
the  summit  at  sunrise.  So  to  this  day  people  say  there  is  smoke 
to  be  seen  rising  from  the  top  of  Mount  Fuji  to  the  clouds. 


They  all  gazed  with  teaiuul  eyes  at  i hi-:  receding  Princess. 

To  face  /■. 


(     H9    ) 


THE    MIRROR    OF    MATSUYAMA. 
A    Story    of    Old    Japan. 

Long  years  ago  in  old  Japan  there  lived  in  the  Province  of 
Echigo,  a  very  remote  part  of  Japan  even  in  these  days,  a  man 
and  his  wife.  When  this  story  begins  they  had  been  married 
for  some  years  and  were  blessed  with  one  little  daughter.  She 
was  the  joy  and  pride  of  both  their  lives,  and  in  her  they 
stored  an  endless  source  of  happiness  for  their  old  age. 

What  golden  letter  days  in  their  memory  were  those  that  had 
marked  her  growing  up  from  babyhood  ;  the  visit  to  the  temple 
when  she  was  just  thirty  days  old,  her  proud  mother  carrying 
her,  robed  in  ceremonial  kimono,  to  be  put  under  the 
patronage  of  the  family's  household  god ;  then  her  first  dolls 
festival,  when  her  parents  gave  her  a  set  of  dolls  and  their 
miniature  belongings,  to  be  added  to  as  year  succeeded  year  ; 
and  perhaps  the  most  important  occasion  of  all,  on  her  third 
birthday,  when  her  first  obi  (broad  brocade  sash)  of  scarlet 
and  gold  was  tied  round  her  small  waist,  a  sign  that  she  had 
crossed  the  threshold  of  girlhood  and  left  infancy  behind. 
Now  that  she  was  seven  years  of  age,"  and  had  learned  to  talk 
and  to  wait  upon  her  parents  in  those  several  little  ways  so 
dear  to  the  hearts  of  fond  parents,  their  cup  of  happiness 
seemed  full.  There  could  not  be  found  in  the  whole  of  the 
Island  Empire  a  happier  little  family. 


120 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


The  Wife  gazed  into  the  Shining  Disc 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  121 

One  day  there  was  much  excitement  in  the  home,  for  the 
father  had  been  suddenly  summoned  to  the  capital  on  business. 
In  these  days  of  railways  and  jinrickshas  and  other  rapid 
modes  of  travelling,  it  is  difficult  to  realise  what  such  a  journey 
as  that  from  Matsuyama  to  Kyoto  meant.  The  roads  were 
rough  and  bad,  and  ordinary  people  had  to  walk  every  step  of 
the  way,  whether  the  distance  were  one  hundred  or  several 
hundred  miles.  Indeed,  in  those  days  it  was  as  great  an 
undertaking  to  go  up  to  the  capital  as  it  is  for  a  Japanese  to 
make  a  voyage  to  Europe  now. 

So  the  wife  was  very  anxious  while  she  helped  her  husband 
get  ready  for  the  long  journey,  knowing  what  an  arduous  task 
lay  before  him.  Vainly  she  wished  that  she  could  accompany 
him,  but  the  distance  was  too  great  for  the  mother  and  child 
to  go,  and  besides  that,  it  was  the  wife's  duty  to  take  care  of 
the  home. 

All  was  ready  at  last,  and  the  husband  stood  in  the  porch 
with  his  little  family  round  him. 

"  Do  not  be  anxious,  I  will  come  back  soon,"  said  the  man. 
"  While  I  am  away  take  care  of  everything,  and  especially  of 
our  little  daughter." 

"  Yes,  we  shall  be  all  right — but  you — you  must  take  care 
of  yourself  and  delay  not  a  day  in  coming  back  to  us,"  said  the 
wife,  while  the  tears  fell  like  rain  from  her  eyes. 

The  little  girl  was  the  only  one  to  smile,  for  she  was 
ignorant  of  the  sorrow  of  parting,  and  did  not  know  that  going 
to  the  capital  was  at  all  different  from  walking  to  the  next 
village,  which  her  father  did  very  often.  She  ran  to  his  side, 
and  caught  hold  of  his  long  sleeve  to  keep  him  a  moment. 


122 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


"  Father,  I  will  be  very  good  while  I  am  waiting  for  you  to 
come  back,  so  please  bring  me  a  present." 

As  the  father  turned  to  take  a  last  look  at  his  weeping  wife 
and  smiling,  eager  child,  he  felt  as  it  someone  were  pulling 
him  back  by  the  hair,  so  hard  was  it  for  him  to  leave  them 


They  watched  him  as  he  went  down  the  Road. 

behind,  for  they  had  never  been  separated  before.  But  he 
knew  that  he  must  go,  for  the  call  was  imperative.  With  a 
great  effort  he  ceased  to  think,  and  resolutely  turning  away  he 
went  quickly  down  the  little  garden  and  out  through  the  gate. 
His  wife,  catching  up  the  child  in  her  arms,  ran  as  far  as  the 
gate,  and  watched  him  as  he  went  down  the  road  between  the 


( 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  123 

pines  till  he  was  lost  in  the  haze  of  the  distance  and  all 
she  could  see  was  his  quaint  peaked  hat,  and  at  last  that 
vanished  too. 

"  Now  father  has  gone,  you  and  I  must  take  care  of  every- 
thing till  he  comes  back,"  said  the  mother,  as  she  made  her 
way  back  to  the  house. 

"Yes,  I  will  be  very  good,"  said  the  child,  nodding  her 
head,  "  and  when  father  comes  home  please  tell  him  how  good 
I  have  been,  and  then  perhaps  he  will  give  me  a  present." 

"  Father  is  sure  to  bring  you  something  that  you  want 
very  much.  I  know,  for  I  asked  him  to  bring  you  a  doll.  You 
must  think  of  father  every  day,  and  pray  for  a  safe  journey  till 
he  comes  back." 

"  0,  yes,  when  he  comes  home  again  how  happy  I  shall 
be,"  said  the  child,  clapping  her  hands,  and  her  face  growing 
bright  with  joy  at  the  glad  thought.  It  seemed  to  the  mother 
as  she  looked  at  the  child's  face  that  her  love  for  her  grew 
deeper  and  deeper. 

Then  she  set  to  work  to  make  the  winter  clothes  for  the 
three  of  them.  She  set  up  her  simple  wooden  spinning-wheel 
and  spun  the  thread  before  she  began  to  weave  the  stuffs.  In 
the  intervals  of  her  work  she  directed  the  little  girl's  games 
and  taught  her  to  read  the  old  stories  of  her  country.  Thus 
did  the  wife  find  consolation  in  work  during  the  lonely  days  ot 
her  husband's  absence.  While  the  time  was  thus  slipping 
quickly  by  in  the  quiet  home,  the  husband  finished  his  business 
and  returned. 

It  would  have  been  difficult  for  anyone  who  did  not  know 
the  man  well  to  recognise  him.     He  had  travelled  day  after 


124 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


day,  exposed  to  all  weathers,  for  about  a  month  altogether,  and 
was  sunburnt  to  bronze,  but  his  fond  wife  and  child  knew  him 
at  a  glance,  and  flew  to  meet  him  from  either  side,  each 
catching  hold  of  one  of  his  sleeves  in  their  eager  greeting. 


"  What  I  have  brought  you  is  called  a  Mirror." 


Both  the  man  and  his  wife  rejoiced  to  find  each  other  well. 
It  seemed  a  very  long  time  to  all  till — the  mother  and  child 
helping — his  straw  sandals  were  untied,  his  large  umbrella  hat 
taken  off,  and  he  was  again  in  their  midst  in  the  old  familiar 
sitting-room  that  had  been  so  empty  while  he  was  away. 

As  soon  as  they  had  sat  down  on  the  white  mats,  the  father 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  125 

opened  a  bamboo  basket  that  he  had  brought  in  with  him,  and 
took  out  a  beautiful  doll  and  a  lacquer  box  full  of  cakes. 

"  Here,"  he  said  to  the  little  girl,  "  is  a  present  for  you.  It 
is  a  prize  for  taking  care  of  mother  and  the  house  so  well 
while  I  was  away." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  child,  as  she  bowed  her  head  to  the 
ground,  and  then  put  out  her  hand  just  like  a  little  maple  leaf 
with  its  eager  widespread  fingers  to  take  the  doll  and  the  box, 
both  of  which,  coming  from  the  capital,  were  prettier  than  any- 
thing she  had  ever  seen.  No  words  can  tell  how  delighted  the 
little  girl  was — her  face  seemed  as  if  it  would  melt  with  joy, 
and  she  had  no  eyes  and  no  thought  for  anything  else. 

Again  the  husband  dived  into  the  basket,  and  brought  out 
this  time  a  square  wooden  box,  carefully  tied  up  with  red  and 
white  string,  and  handing  it  to  his  wife,  said  : 

"  And  this  is  for  you." 

The  wife  took  the  box,  and  opening  it  carefully  took  out  a 
metal  disc  with  a  handle  attached.  One  side  was  bright  and 
shining  like  a  crystal,  and  the  other  was  covered  with  raised 
figures  of  pine-trees  and  storks,  which  had  been  carved  out  ot 
its  smooth  surface  in  lifelike  reality.  Never  had  she  seen 
such  a  thing  in  her  life,  for  she  had  been  born  and  bred  in 
the  rural  province  of  Echigo.  She  gazed  into  the  shining  disc, 
and  looking  up  with  surprise  and  wonder  pictured  on  her  face, 
she  said  : 

"  I  see  somebody  looking  at  me  in  this  round  thing !  What 
is  it  that  you  have  given  me  ?  " 

The  husband  laughed  and  said  : 

"Why,   it  is  your  own  face  that  you  see.     What  I  have 


126  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

brought  you  is  called  a  mirror,  and  whoever  looks  into  its  clear 
surface  can  see  their  own  form  reflected  there.  Although 
there  are  none  to  be  found  in  this  out  of  the  way  place,  yet 
they  have  been  in  use  in  the  capital  from  the  most  ancient 
times.  There  the  mirror  is  considered  a  very  necessary 
requisite  for  a  woman  to  possess.  There  is  an  old  proverb 
that  '  As  the  sword  is  the  soul  of  a  samurai,  so  is  the  mirror 
the  soul  of  a  woman,'  and  according  to  popular  tradition,  a 
woman's  mirror  is  an  index  to  her  own  heart — if  she  keeps  if 
bright  and  clear,  so  is  her  heart  pure  and  good.  It  is  also  one 
of  the  treasures  that  form  the  insignia  of  the  Emperor.  So 
you  must  lay  great  store  by  your  mirror,  and  use  it  carefully." 

The  wife  listened  to  all  her  husband  told  her,  and  was 
pleased  at  learning  so  much  that  was  new  to  her.  She  was 
still  more  pleased  at  the  precious  gift — his  token  of  remem- 
brance while  he  had  been  away. 

"  If  the  mirror  represents  my  soul,  I  shall  certainly  treasure 
it  as  a  valuable  possession,  and  never  will  I  use  it  carelessly." 
Saying  so,  she  lifted  it  as  high  as  her  forehead,  in  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  the  gift,  and  then  shut  it  up  in  its  box  and 
put  it  away. 

The  wife  saw  that  her  husband  was  very  tired,  and  set 
about  serving  the  evening  meal  and  making  everything  as 
comfortable  as  she  could  for  him.  It  seemed  to  the  little 
family  as  if  they  had  not  known  what  true  happiness  was 
before,  so  glad  were  they  to  be  together  again,  and  this  evening 
the  father  had  much  to  tell  of  his  journey  and  of  all  he  had 
seen  at  the  great  capital. 

Time  passed  away  in  the  peaceful  home,  and  the  parents 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  127 

saw  their  fondest  hopes  realised  as  their  daughter  grew 
from  childhood  into  a  beautiful  girl  of  sixteen.  As  a  gem 
of  priceless  value  is  held  in  its  proud  owner's  hand,  so 
had  they  reared  her  with  unceasing  love  and  care  :  and  now 
their  pains  were  more  than  doubly  rewarded.  What  a  comfort 
she  was  to  her  mother  as  she  went  about  the  house  taking  her 
part  in  the  housekeeping,  and  how  proud  her  father  was  of  her, 
for  she  daily  reminded  him  of  her  mother  when  he  had  first 
married  her. 

But,  alas !  in  this  world  nothing  lasts  for  ever.  Even  the  moon 
is  not  always  perfect  in  shape,  but  loses  its  roundness  with  time, 
and  flowers  bloom  and  then  fade.  So  at  last  the  happiness  of 
this  family  was  broken  up  by  a  great  sorrow.  The  good  and 
gentle  wife  and  mother  was  one  day  taken  ill. 

In  the  first  days  of  her  illness  the  father  and  daughter 
thought  that  it  was  only  a  cold,  and  were  not  particularly 
anxious.  But  the  days  went  by  and  still  the  mother  did  not 
get  better  ;  she  only  grew  worse,  and  the  doctor  was  puzzled, 
for  in  spite  of  all  he  did  the  poor  woman  grew  weaker  day 
by  day.  The  father  and  daughter  were  stricken  with  grief, 
and  day  or  night  the  girl  never  left  her  mother's  side.  But  in 
spite  of  all  their  efforts  the  woman's  life  was  not  to  be 
saved. 

One  day  as  the  girl  sat  near  her  mother's  bed,  trying  to 
hide  with  a  cheery  smile  the  gnawing  trouble  at  her  heart,  the 
mother  roused  herself  and  taking  her  daughter's  hand,  gazed 
earnestly  and  lovingly  into  her  eyes.  Her  breath  was  laboured 
and  she  spoke  with  difficulty: 

"  My  daughter,  I  am  sure  that  nothing  can  save  me  now, 


128 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


When  I  am  dead,  promise  me  to  take  care  of  your  dear  father 
and  to  try  to  be  a  good  and  dutiful  woman." 

"  Oli,   mother,"  said  the  girl  as  the  tears   rushed  to  her 
eyes,  "you  must  not  say  such  things.     All  you  have  to  do  is 


The  Mother  roused  herself  and  took  her  Daughter's  Hand. 


to    make    haste    and    get   well — that   will   bring   the   greatest 
happiness  to  father  and  myself." 

"  Yes,  I  know,  and  it  is  a  comfort  to  me  in  my  last  days  to 
know  how  greatly  you  long  for  me  to  get  better,  but  it  is  not 
to  be.  Do  not  look  so  sorrowful,  for  it  was  so  ordained  in  my 
previous  state  of  existence  that  I  should  die  in  this  life  just  at 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  129 

this  time ;  knowing  this,  I  am  quite  resigned  to  my  fate.  And 
now  I  have  something  to  give  you  whereby  to  remember  me 
when  I  am  gone." 

Putting  her  hand  out,  she  took  from  the  side  of  the  pillow 
a  square  wooden  box  tied  up  with  a  silken  cord  and  tassels. 
Undoing  this  very  carefully,  she  took  out  of  the  box  the  mirror 
that  her  husband  had  given  her  years  ago. 

"  When  you  were  still  a  little  child  your  father  went  up  to 
the  capital  and  brought  me  back  as  a  present  this  treasure  ;  it 
is  called  a  mirror.  This  I  give  you  before  I  die.  If,  after  I 
have  ceased  to  be  in  this  life,  you  are  lonely  and  long  to  see 
me  sometimes,  then  take  out  this  mirror  and  in  the  clear  and 
shining  surface  you  will  always  see  me — so  will  you  be  able  to 
meet  with  me  often  and  tell  me  all  your  heart ;  and  though  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  speak,  I  shall  understand  and  sympathise 
with  you,  whatever  may  happen  to  you  in  the  future."  With  these 
words  the  dying  woman  handed  the  mirror  to  her  daughter. 

The  mind  of  the  good  mother  seemed  to  be  now  at  rest, 
and  sinking  back  without  another  word  her  spirit  passed  quietly 
away  that  day. 

The  bereaved  father  and  daughter  were  wild  with  grief,  and 
they  abandoned  themselves  to  their  bitter  sorrow.  They  feit 
it  to  be  impossible  to  take  leave  of  the  loved  woman  who  till  now 
had  filled  their  whole  lives  and  to  commit  her  body  to  the  earth. 
But  this  frantic  burst  of  grief  passed,  and  then  they  took  pos- 
session of  their  own  hearts  again,  crushed  though  they  were  in 
resignation.  In  spite  of  this  the  daughter's  life  seemed  to  her 
desolate.  Her  love  for  her  dead  mother  did  not  grow  less  with 
time,  and  so  keen  was  her  remembrance,  that  everything  in  daily 

F.B.  K 


13° 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


life,  even  the  falling  of  the  rain  and  the  blowing  of  the  wind 
reminded  her  of  her  mother's  death  and  of  all  that  they  had 
loved  and  shared  together.  One  day  when  her  father  was  out, 
and  she  was  fulfilling  her  household  duties  alone,  her  loneliness 
and  sorrow  seemed  more  than  she  could    bear.     She  threw 


In  the  round  Mirror  before  her  she  saw  her  Mother's  Face. 

herself  down  in  her  mother's  room  and  wept  as  if  her  heart 
would  break.  Poor  child,  she  longed  just  for  one  glimpse  of 
the  loved  face,  one  sound  of  the  voice  calling  her  pet  name, 
or  for  one  moment's  forgetfulness  of  the  aching  void  in  her 
heart.  Suddenly  she  sat  up.  Her  mother's  last  words  had 
rung  through  her  memory  hitherto  dulled  by  grief. 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  131 

"Oh!  my  mother  told  me  when  she  gave  me  the  mirror 
as  a  parting  gift,  that  whenever  I  looked  into  it  I  should  be 
able  to  meet  her — to  see  her.  I  had  nearly  forgotten  her  last 
words — how  stupid  I  am ;  I  will  get  the  mirror  now  and  see 
if  it  can  possibly  be  true  ! " 

She  dried  her  eyes  quickly,  and  going  to  the  cupboard  took 
out  the  box  that  contained  the  mirror,  her  heart  beating 
with  expectation  as  she  lifted  the  mirror  out  and  gazed  into  its 
smooth  face.  Behold,  her  mother's  words  were  true  !  In  the 
round  mirror  before  her  she  saw  her  mother's  face  ;  but,  oh, 
the  joyful  surprise  !  It  was  not  her  mother  thin  and  wasted 
by  illness,  but  the  young  and  beautiful  woman  as  she  remem- 
bered her  far  back  in  the  days  of  her  own  earliest  childhood.  It 
seemed  to  the  girl  that  the  face  in  the  mirror  must  soon  speak, 
almost  that  she  heard  the  voice  of  her  mother  telling  her  again 
to  grow  up  a  good  woman  and  a  dutiful  daughter,  so  earnestly 
did  the  eyes  in  the  mirror  look  back  into  her  own. 

"  It  is  certainly  my  mother's  soul  that  I  see.  She  knows 
how  miserable  I  am  without  her  and  she  has  come  to  comfort 
me.  Whenever  I  long  to  see  her  she  will  meet  me  here  ;  how 
grateful  I  ought  to  be  !  " 

And  from  this  time  the  weight  of  sorrow  was  greatly  lightened 
for  her  young  heart.  Every  morning,  to  gather  strength  for 
the  day's  duties  before  her,  and  every  evening,  for  consolation 
before  she  lay  down  to  rest,  did  the  young  girl  take  out  the 
mirror  and  gaze  at  the  reflection  which  in  the  simplicity  of  her 
innocent  heart  she  believed  to  be  her  mother's  soul.  Daily  she 
grew  in  the  likeness  of  her  dead  mother's  character,  and  was 
gentle  and  kind  to  all,  and  a  dutiful  daughter  to  her  father. 

k  2 


132  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

A  year  spent  in  mourning  had  thus  passed  away  in  the  little 
household,  when,  by  the  advice  of  his  relations,  the  man  married 
again,  and  the  daughter  now  found  herself  under  the  authority 
of  a  step-mother.  It  was  a  trying  position  ;  but  her  days  spent 
in  the  recollection  of  her  own  beloved  mother,  and  of  trying  to 
be  what  that  mother  would  wish  her  to  be,  had  made  the 
young  girl  docile  and  patient,  and  she  now  determined  to  be 
filial  and  dutiful  to  her  father's  wife,  in  all  respects.  Everything 
went  on  apparently  smoothly  in  the  family  for  some  time  under 
the  new  regime ;  there  were  no  winds  or  waves  of  discord  to 
ruffle  the  surface  of  every  day  life,  and  the  father  was  content. 

But  it  is  a  woman's  danger  to  be  petty  and  mean,  and  step- 
mothers are  proverbial  all  the  world  over,  and  this  one's  heart 
was  not  as  her  first  smiles  were.  As  the  days  and  weeks  grew 
into  months,  the  step-mother  began  to  treat  the  motherless  girl 
unkindly  and  to  try  and  come  between  the  father  and  child. 

Sometimes  she  went  to  her  husband  and  complained  of  her 
step-daughter's  behaviour,  but  the  father  knowing  that  this 
was  to  be  expected,  took  no  notice  of  her  ill-natured  complaints. 
Instead  of  lessening  his  affection  for  his  daughter,  as  the  woman 
desired,  her  grumblings  only  made  him  think  of  her  the  more. 
The  woman  soon  saw  that  he  began  to  show  more  concern  for 
his  lonely  child  than  before.  This  did  not  please  her  at  all, 
and  she  began  to  turn  over  in  her  mind  how  she  could,  by 
some  means  or  other,  drive  her  step-child  out  of  the  house. 
So  crooked  did  the  woman's  heart  become. 

She  watched  the  girl  carefully,  and  one  day  peeping  into 
her  room  in  the  early  morning,  she  thought  she  discovered  a 
grave  enough  sin  of  which  to  accuse  the  child  to  her  father. 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  133 

The  woman  herself  was  a  little  frightened  too  at  what  she 
had  seen. 

So  she  went  at  once  to  her  husband,  and  wiping  away  some 
false  tears  she  said  in  a  sad  voice  : 

"  Please  give  me  permission  to  leave  you  to-day." 

The  man  was  completely  taken  by  surprise  at  the  sudden- 
ness of  her  request,  and  wondered  whatever  was  the  matter. 

"  Do  you  find  it  so  disagreeable,"  he  asked,  "  in  my  house, 
that  you  can  stay  no  longer  ?  " 

"  No  !  no  !  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  you — even  in  my 
dreams  I  have  never  thought  that  I  wished  to  leave  your  side  ; 
but  if  I  go  on  living  here  I  am  in  danger  of  losing  my  life,  so 
I  think  it  best  for  all  concerned  that  you  should  allow  me 
to  go  home  !  " 

And  the* woman  began  to  weep  afresh.  Her  husband,  dis- 
tressed to  see  her  so  unhappy,  and  thinking  that  he  could  not 
have  heard  aright,  said  : 

"  Tell  me  what  you  mean  !  How  is  your  life  in  danger 
here  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  since  you  ask  me.  Your  daughter  dislikes 
me  as  her  step-mother.  For  sometime  past  she  has  shut 
herself  up  in  her  room  morning  and  evening,  and  looking  in  as 
I  pass  by,  I  am  convinced  that  she  has  made  an  image  of  me 
and  is  trying  to  kill  me  by  magic  art,  cursing  me  daily.  It  is 
not  safe  for  me  to  stay  here,  such  being  the  case ;  indeed, 
indeed,  I  must  go  away,  we  cannot  live  under  the  same  roof 
any  more." 

The  husband  listened  to  the  dreadful  tale,  but  he  could  not 
believe  his  gentle   daughter  guilty  of  such   an   evil  act.     He 


134  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

knew  that  by  popular  superstition  people  believed  that  one 
person  could  cause  the  gradual  death  of  another  by  making  an 
image  of  the  hated  one  and  cursing  it  daily ;  but  where  had 
his  young  daughter  learned  such  knowledge  ? — the  thing  was 
impossible.  Yet  he  remembered  having  noticed  that  his 
daughter  stayed  much  in  her  room  of  late  and  kept  herself 
away  from  everyone,  even  when  visitors  came  to  the  house. 
Putting  this  fact  together  with  his  wife's  alarm,  he  thought 
that  there  might  be  something  to  account  for  the  strange 
story. 

His  heart  was  torn  between  doubting  his  wife  and  trusting 
his  child,  and  he  knew  not  what  to  do.  He  decided  to  go  at 
once  to  his  daughter  and  try  to  find  out  the  truth.  Comforting 
his  wife  and  assuring  her  that  her  fears  were  groundless,  he 
glided  quietly  to  his  daughter's  room. 

The  girl  had  for  a  long  time  past  been  very  unhappy.  She 
had  tried  by  amiability  and  obedience  to  show  her  goodwill 
and  to  mollify  the  new  wife,  and  to  break  down  that  wall  of 
prejudice  and  misunderstanding  that  she  knew  generally  stood 
between  step-parents  and  their  step-children.  But  she  soon 
found  that  her  efforts  were  in  vain.  The  step-mother  never 
trusted  her,  and  seemed  to  misinterpret  all  her  actions,  and  the 
poor  child  knew  very  well  that  she  often  carried  unkind  and 
untrue  tales  to  her  father.  She  could  not  help  comparing  her 
present  unhappy  condition  with  the  time  when  her  own  mother 
was  alive  only  a  little  more  than  a  year  ago — so  great  a 
change  in  this  short  time  !  Morning  and  evening  she  wept 
over  the  remembrance.  Whenever  she  could  she  went  to  her 
room,  and  sliding  the  screens  to,  took  out  the  mirror  and  gazed, 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  135 

as  she  thought,  at  her  mother's  face.  It  was  the  only  comfort 
that  she  had  in  these  wretched  days. 

Her  father  found  her  occupied  in  this  way.  Pushing  aside 
the  fusama,  he  saw  her  bending  over  something  or  other 
very  intently.  Looking  over  her  shoulder,  to  see  who  was 
entering  her  room,  the  girl  was  surprised  to  see  her  father,  for 
he  generally  sent  for  her  when  he  wished  to  speak  to  her.  She 
was  also  confused  at  being  found  looking  at  the  mirror,  for  she 
had  never  told  anyone  of  her  mother's  last  promise,  but  had  kept 
it  as  the  sacred  secret  of  her  heart.  So  before  turning  to  her 
father  she  slipped  the  mirror  into  her  long  sleeve.  Her  father 
noting  her  confusion,  and  her  act  of  hiding  something,  said  in  a 
severe  manner  : 

"  Daughter,  what  are  you  doing  here  ?  And  what  is  that 
that  you  have  hidden  in  your  sleeve  ?  " 

The  girl  was  frightened  by  her  father's  severity.  Never 
had  he  spoken  to  her  in  such  a  tone.  Her  confusion  changed 
to  apprehension,  her  colour  from  scarlet  to  white.  She  sat 
dumb  and  shamefaced,  unable  to  reply. 

Appearances  were  certainly  against  her ;  the  young  girl 
looked  guilty,  and  the  father  thinking  that  perhaps  after  all 
what  his  wife  had  told  him  was  true,  spoke  angrily  : 

"  Then,  is  it  really  true  that  you  are  daily  cursing  your 
step-mother  and  praying  for  her  death  ?  Have  you  forgotten 
what  I  told  you,  that  although  she  is  your  step-mother  you 
must  be  obedient  and  loyal  to  her  ?  What  evil  spirit  has  taken 
possession  of  your  heart  that  you  should  be  so  wicked  ?  You 
have  certainly  changed,  my  daughter  !  What  has  made  you 
so  disobedient  and  unfaithful  ?  " 


136  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

And  the  father's  eyes  filled  with  sudden  tears  to  think  that 
he  should  have  to  upbraid  his  daughter  in  this  way. 

She  on  her  part  did  not  know  what  he  meant,  for  she  had 
never  heard  of  the  superstition  that  by  praying  over  an  image 
it  is  possible  to  cause  the  death  of  a  hated  person.  But  she 
saw  that  she  must  speak  and  clear  herself  somehow.  She 
loved  her  father  dearly,  and  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  his 
anger.     She  put  out  her  hand  on  his  knee  deprecatingly : 

"  Father  !  father  !  do  not  say  such  dreadful  things  to  me. 
I  am  still  your  obedient  child.  Indeed,  I  am.  However 
stupid  I  may  be,  I  should  never  be  able  to  curse  anyone  who 
belonged  to  you,  much  less  pray  for  the  death  of  one  you  love. 
Surely  someone  has  been  telling  you  lies,  and  you  are  dazed,  and 
you  know  not  what  you  say — or  some  evil  spirit  has  taken  pos- 
session of  your  heart.  As  for  me  I  do  not  know — no,  not  so 
much  as  a  dew-drop,  of  the  evil  thing  of  which  you  accuse  me." 

But  her  father  remembered  that  she  had  hidden  something 
away  when  he  first  entered  the  room,  and  even  this  earnest 
protest  did  not  satisfy  him.  He  wished  to  clear  up  his  doubts 
once  for  all. 

"  Then  why  are  you  always  alone  in  your  room  these  days  ? 
And  tell  me  what  is  that  that  you  have  hidden  in  your  sleeve — 
show  it  to  me  at  once." 

Then  the  daughter,  though  shy  of  confessing  how  she 
had  cherished  her  mother's  memory,  saw  that  she  must  tell  her 
father  all  in  order  to  clear  herself.  So  she  slipped  the  mirror 
out  from  her  long  sleeve  and  laid  it  before  him. 

"  This,"  she  said,  "  is  what  you  saw  me  looking  at  just  now." 

"Why,"  he  said  in  great  surprise,  "this  is  the  mirror  that 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  137 

I  brought  as  a  gift  to  your  mother  when  I  went  up  to  the 
capital  many  years  ago  !  And  so  you  have  kept  it  all  this 
time  ?  Now,  why  do  you  spend  so  much  of  your  time  before 
this  mirror  ?" 

Then  she  told  him  of  her  mother's  last  words,  and  of  how 
she  had  promised  to  meet  her  child  whenever  she  looked  into 
the  glass.  But  still  the  father  could  not  understand  the 
simplicity  of  his  daughter's  character  in  not  knowing  that 
what  she  saw  reflected  in  the  mirror  was  in  reality  her  own 
face,  and  not  that  of  her  mother. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  asked.  "  I  do  not  understand 
how  you  can  meet  the  soul  of  your  lost  mother  by  looking  in 
this  mirror  ?  " 

"  It  is  indeed  true,"  said  the  girl ;  "  and  if  you  don't  believe 
what  I  say,  look  for  yourself,"  and  she  placed  the  mirror  before 
her.  There,  looking  back  from  the  smooth  metal  disc,  was  her 
own  sweet  face.     She  pointed  to  the  reflection  seriously  : 

"  Do  you  doubt  me  still  ?"  she  asked  earnestly,  looking  up 
into  his  face. 

With  an  exclamation  of  sudden  understanding  the  father 
smote  his  two  hands  together. 

"How  stupid  I  am!  At  last  I  understand.  Your  face  is 
as  like  your  mother's  as  the  two  sides  of  a  melon — thus  you 
have  looked  at  the  reflection  of  your  face  all  this  time,  thinking 
that  you  were  brought  face  to  face  with  your  lost  mother  !  You 
are  truly  a  faithful  child.  It  seems  at  first  a  stupid  thing  to 
have  done,  but  it  is  not  really  so.  It  shows  how  deep  has  been 
your  filial  piety,  and  how  innocent  your  heart.  Living  in 
constant  remembrance  of  your  lost  mother  has  helped  you  to 


138  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

grow  like  her  in  character.  How  clever  it  was  of  her  to  tell 
you  to  do  this.  I  admire  and  respect  you,  my  daughter,  and  I 
am  ashamed  to  think  that  for  one  instant  I  believed  your 
suspicious  step-mother's  story  and  suspected  you  of  evil,  and 
came  with  the  intention  of  scolding  you  severely,  while  all  this 
time  you  have  been  so  true  and  good.  Before  you  I  have  no 
countenance  left,  and  I  beg  you  to  forgive  me." 

And  here  the  father  wept.  He  thought  of  how  lonely  the 
poor  girl  must  have  been,  and  of  all  that  she  must  have  suffered 
under  her  step-mother's  treatment.  His  daughter  steadfastly 
keeping  her  faith  and  simplicity  in  the  midst  of  such  adverse 
circumstances— bearing  all  her  troubles  with  so  much  patience 
and  amiability— made  him  compare  her  to  the  lotus  which 
rears  its  blossom  of  dazzling  beauty  out  of  the  slime  and  mud 
of  the  moats  and  ponds,  fitting  emblem  of  a  heart  which  keeps 
itself  unsullied  while  passing  through  the  world. 

The  step-mother,  anxious  to  know  what  would  happen,  had 
all  this  while  been  standing  outside  the  room.  She  had  grown 
interested,  and  had  gradually  pushed  the  sliding  screen  back 
till  she  could  see  all  that  went  on.  At  this  moment  she  suddenly 
entered  the  room,  and  dropping  to  the  mats,  she  bowed  her 
head  over  her  outspread  hands  before  her  step-daughter. 

"  I  am  ashamed !  I  am  ashamed  ! "  she  exclaimed  in 
broken  tones.  "  I  did  not  know  what  a  filial  child  you  were. 
Through  no  fault  of  yours,  but  with  a  step-mother's  jealous 
heart,  I  have  disliked  you  all  the  time.  Hating  you  so  much 
myself,  it  was  but  natural  that  I  should  think  you  reciprocated 
the  feeling,  and  thus  when  I  saw  you  retire  so  often  to  your  room 
I  followed  you,  and  when  I  saw  you  gaze  daily  into  the  mirror 


The  Mirror  of  Matsuyama.  139 

for  long  intervals,  I  concluded  that  you  had  found  out  how  I 
disliked  you,  and  that  you  were  out  of  revenge  trying  to  take 
my  life  by  magic  art.  As  long  as  I  live  I  shall  never  forget 
the  wrong  I  have  done  you  in  so  misjudging  you,  and  in  causing 
your  father  to  suspect  you.  From  this  day  I  throw  away  my 
old  and  wicked  heart,  and  in  its  place  I  put  a  new  one,  clean 
and  full  of  repentance.  I  shall  think  of  you  as  a  child  that  I 
have  borne  myself.  I  shall  love  and  cherish  you  with  all  my 
heart,  and  thus  try  to  make  up  for  all  the  unhappiness  I  have 
caused  you.  Therefore,  please  throw  into  the  water  all  that 
has  gone  before,  and  give  me,  I  beg  of  you,  some  of  the  filial 
love  that  you  have  hitherto  given  your  own  lost  mother." 

Thus  did  the  unkind  step-mother  humble  herself  and  ask 
forgiveness  of  the  girl  she  had  so  wronged. 

Such  was  the  sweetness  of  the  girl's  disposition  that  she 
willingly  forgave  her  step-mother,  and  never  bore  a  moment's 
resentment  or  malice  towards  her  afterwards.  The  father  saw 
by  his  wife's  face  that  she  was  truly  sorry  for  the  past,  and  was 
greatly  relieved  to  see  the  terrible  misunderstanding  wiped  out 
of  remembrance  by  both  the  wrongdoer  and  the  wronged. 

From  this  time  on,  the  three  lived  together  as  happily  as  fish 
in  water.  No  such  trouble  ever  darkened  the  home  again,  and 
the  young  girl  gradually  forgot  that  year  of  unhappiness  in  the 
tender  love  and  care  that  her  step-mother  now  bestowed  on  her. 
Her  patience  and  goodness  were  rewarded  at  last. 


(     Ho    ) 


THE    GOBLIN    OF    ADACHIGAHARA. 

Long,  long  ago  there  was  a  large  plain  called  Adachigahara, 
in  the  province  of  Mutsu  in  Japan.  This  place  was  said  to  be 
haunted  by  a  cannibal  goblin  who  took  the  form  of  an  old 
woman.  From  time  to  time  many  travellers  disappeared  and 
were  never  heard  of  more,  and  the  old  women  round  the 
charcoal  braziers  in  the  evenings,  and  the  girls  washing  the 
household  rice  at  the  wells  in  the  mornings,  whispered  dreadful 
stories  of  how  the  missing  folk  had  been  lured  to  the  goblin's 
cottage  and  devoured,  for  the  goblin  lived  only  on  human  flesh. 
No  one  dared  to  venture  near  the  haunted  spot  after  sunset, 
and  all  those  who  could,  avoided  it  in  the  daytime,  and 
travellers  were  warned  of  the  dreaded  place. 

One  day  as  the  sun  was  setting,  a  priest  came  to  the  plain. 
He  was  a  belated  traveller,  and  his  robe  showed  that  he  was  a 
Buddhist  pilgrim  walking  from  shrine  to  shrine  to  pray  for 
some  blessing  or  to  crave  for  forgiveness  of  sins.  He  had 
apparently  lost  his  way,  and  as  it  was  late  he  met  no  one  who 
could  show  him  the  road  or  warn  him  of  the  haunted  spot. 

He  had  walked  the  whole  day  and  was  now  tired  and 
hungry,  and  the  evenings  were  chilly,  for  it  was  late  autumn, 
and  he  began  to  be  very  anxious  to  find  some  house  where 
he  could  obtain  a  night's  lodging.  He  found  himself  lost  in 
the  midst  of  the  large  plain,  and  looked  about  in  vain  for  some 
sign  of  human  habitation. 


The  Goblin  of  Adachigahara. 


141 


At  last,  after  wandering  about  for  some  hours,  he  saw  a 
clump  of  trees  in  the  distance,  and  through  the  trees  he  caught 
sight  of  the  glimmer  of  a  single  ray  of  light.  He  exclaimed 
with  joy : 


He  pressed  the  Old  Woman  to  let  him  Stay,  but  she  seemed  very  Reluctant. 


"  Oh,  surely  that  is  some  cottage  where  I  can  get  a  night's 


lodging !  " 


Keeping  the  light  before  his  eyes  he  dragged  his  weary, 
aching  feet  as  quickly  as  he  could  towards  the  spot,  and  soon 
came  to  a  miserable-looking  little  cottage.     As  he  drew  near 


142  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

he  saw  that  it  was  in  a  tumble-down  condition,  the  bamboo 
fence  was  broken  and  weeds  and  grass  pushed  their  way 
through  the  gaps.  The  paper  screens  which  serve  as  windows 
and  doors  in  Japan  were  full  of  holes,  and  the  posts  of  the 
house  were  bent  with  age  and  seemed  scarcely  able  to  support 
the  old  thatched  roof.  The  hut  was  open,  and  by  the  light  of 
an  old  lantern  an  old  woman  sat  industriously  spinning. 

The  pilgrim  called  to  her  across  the  bamboo  fence  and  said  : 

"  O  Baa  San  (old  woman),  good  evening !  I  am  a  traveller! 
Please  excuse  me,  but  I  have  lost  my  way  and  do  not  know 
what  to  do,  for  I  have  nowhere  to  rest  to-night.  I  beg  you  to 
be  good  enough  to  let  me  spend  the  night  under  your  roof." 

The  old  woman  as  soon  as  she  heard  herself  spoken  to 
stopped  spinning,  rose  from  her  seat  and  approached  the  intruder. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  you.  You  must  indeed  be  distressed 
to  have  lost  your  way  in  such  a  lonely  spot  so  late  at  night. 
Unfortunately  I  cannot  put  you  up,  for  I  have  no  bed  to  offer 
you,  and  no  accommodation  whatsoever  for  a  guest  in  this  poor 
place  !  " 

"  Oh,  that  does  not  matter,"  said  the  priest;  "  all  I  want  is 
a  shelter  under  some  roof  for  the  night,  and  if  you  will  be  good 
enough  just  to  let  me  lie  on  the  kitchen  floor  I  shall  be  grateful. 
I  am  too  tired  to  walk  further  to-night,  so  I  hope  you  will  not 
refuse  me,  otherwise  I  shall  have  to  sleep  out  on  the  cold  plain." 
And  in  this  way  he  pressed  the  old  woman  to  let  him  stay. 

She  seemed  very  reluctant,  but  at  last  she  said : 

"  Very  well,  I  will  let  you  stay  here.  I  can  offer  you  a 
very  poor  welcome  only,  but  come  in  now  and  I  will  make  a 
fire,  for  the  night  is  cold." 


The  Goblin  of  Adachigahara.  143 

The  pilgrim  was  only  too  glad  to  do  as  he  was  told.  He 
took  off  his  sandals  and  entered  the  hut.  The  old  woman 
then  brought  some  sticks  of  wood  and  lit  the  fire,  and  bade  her 
guest  draw  near  and  warm  himself. 

"  You  must  be  hungry  after  your  long  tramp,"  said  the  old 
woman.  "  I  will  go  and  cook  some  supper  for  you."  She 
then  went  to  the  kitchen  to  cook  some  rice. 

After  the  priest  had  finished  his  supper  the  old  woman  sat 
down  by  the  fireplace,  and  they  talked  together  for  along  time. 
The  pilgrim  thought  to  himself  that  he  had  been  very  lucky  to 
come  across  such  a  kind,  hospitable  old  woman.  At  last  the 
wood  gave  out,  and  as  the  fire  died  slowly  down  he  began  to 
shiver  with  cold  just  as  he  had  done  when  he  arrived. 

"  I  see  you  are  cold,"  said  the  old  woman;  "  I  will  go  out 
and  gather  some  wood,  for  we  have  used  it  all.  You  must  stay 
and  take  care  of  the  house  while  I  am  gone." 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  pilgrim,  "let  me  go  instead,  for  you  are 
old,  and  I  cannot  think  of  letting  you  go  out  to  get  wood  for 
me  this  cold  night !  " 

The  old  woman  shook  her  head  and  said  : 

"  You  must  stay  quietly  here,  for  you  are  my  guest."  Then 
she  left  him  and  went  out. 

In  a  minute  she  came  back  and  said  : 

"  You  must  sit  where  you  are  and  not  move,  and  whatever 
happens  don't  go  near  or  look  into  the  inner  room.  Now 
mind  what  I  tell  you  !  " 

"  If  you  tell  me  not  to  go  near  the  back  room,  of  course  I 
won't,"  said  the  priest,  rather  bewildered. 

The  old  woman  then  went  out  again,  and  the  priest  was  left 


144  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

alone.  The  fire  had  died  out,  and  the  only  light  in  the  hut 
was  that  of  a  dim  lantern.  For  the  first  time  that  night  he 
began  to  feel  that  he  was  in  a  weird  place,  and  the  old  woman's 
words,  "  Whatever  you  do  don't  peep  into  the  back  room," 
aroused  his  curiosity  and  his  fear. 

What  hidden  thing  could  be  in  that  room  that  she  did  not 
wish  him  to  see?  For  some  time  the  remembrance  of  his 
promise  to  the  old  woman  kept  him  still,  but  at  last  he  could 
no  longer  resist  his  curiosity  to  peep  into  the  forbidden  place. 

He  got  up  and  began  to  move  slowly  towards  the  back 
room.  Then  the  thought  that  the  old  woman  would  be  very 
angry  with  him  if  he  disobeyed  her  made  him  come  back  to  his 
place  by  the  fireside. 

As  the  minutes  went  slowly  by  and  the  old  woman  did  not 
return,  he  began  to  feel  more  and  more  frightened,  and  to 
wonder  what  dreadful  secret  was  in  the  room  behind  him.  He 
must  find  out. 

"  She  will  not  know  that  I  have  looked  unless  I  tell  her. 
I  will  just  have  a  peep  before  she  comes  back,"  said  the  man 
to  himself. 

With  these  words  he  got  up  on  his  feet  (for  he  had  been 
sitting  all  this  time  in  Japanese  fashion  with  his  feet  under 
him)  and  stealthily  crept  towards  the  forbidden  spot.  With 
trembling  hands  he  pushed  back  the  sliding  door  and  looked 
in.  What  he  saw  froze  the  blood  in  his  veins.  The  room  was 
full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  the  walls  were  splashed  and  the 
floor  was  covered  with  human  blood.  In  one  corner  skull 
upon  skull  rose  to  the  ceiling,  in  another  was  a  heap  of  arm 
bones,  in  another  a  heap  of  leg  bones.     The  sickening  smell 


The  Goblin  of  Adachigahara. 


145 


made  him  faint.  He  fell  backwards  with  horror,  and  for  some 
time  lay  in  a  heap  with  fright  on  the  floor,  a  pitiful  sight.  He 
trembled  all  over  and  his  teeth  chattered,  and  he  could  hardly 
crawl  away  from  the  dreadful  spot. 


What  he  saw  froze  the  Blood  in  his  Veins. 

"  How  horrible  !  "  he  cried  out.  "  What  awful  den  have  I 
come  to  in  my  travels  ?  May  Buddha  help  me  or  I  am  lost. 
Is  it  possible  that  that  kind  old  woman  is  really  the  cannibal 
goblin  ?  When  she  comes  back  she  will  show  herself  in  her 
true  character  and  eat  me  up  at  one  mouthful  !  " 

With   these   words  his   strength    came    back   to  him  and, 

F.B.  L 


146 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


snatching  up  his  hat  and  staff,  he  rushed  out  of  the  house  as 
fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him.  Out  into  the  night  he  ran, 
his  one  thought  to  get  as  far  as  he  could  from  the  goblin's 


After  him  Rushed  the  Dreadful  Old  Hag. 

haunt.     He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  heard  steps  behind  him 
and  a  voice  crying  :     "  Stop  !  stop  !  " 

He  ran  on,  redoubling  his  speed,  pretending  not  to  hear. 
As  he  ran  he  heard  the  steps  behind  him  come  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  at  last  he  recognised  the  old  woman's  voice  which 
grew  louder  and  louder  as  she  came  nearer. 


The  Goblin  of  Aclachigahara.  147 

"  Stop!  stop,  you  wicked  man,  why  did  you  look  into  the 
forbidden  room?  " 

The  priest  quite  forgot  how  tired  he  was  and  his  feet  flew  over 
the  ground  faster  than  ever.  Fear  gave  him  strength,  for  he 
knew  that  if  the  goblin  caught  him  he  would  soon  be  one  ol 
her  victims.  With  all  his  heart  he  repeated  the  prayer  to 
Buddha  : 

"  Namu   Amida  Butsu,  Namu  Amida  Butsu." 

And  after  him  rushed  the  dreadful  old  hag,  her  hair  flying  in 
the  wind,  and  her  face  changing  with  rage  into  the  demon  that 
she  was.  In  her  hand  she  carried  a  large  blood-stained  knife, 
and  she  still  shrieked  after  him,  "  Stop  !  stop  !  " 

At  last,  when  the  priest  felt  he  could  run  no  more,  the  dawn 
broke,  and  with  the  darkness  of  night  the  goblin  vanished  and 
he  was  safe.  The  priest  now  knew  that  he  had  met  the 
Goblin  of  Adachigahara,  the  story  of  whom  he  had  often 
heard  but  never  believed  to  be  true.  He  felt  that  he  owed 
his  wonderful  escape  to  the  protection  of  Buddha  to  whom  he 
had  prayed  for  help,  so  he  took  out  his  rosary  and  bowing  his 
head  as  the  sun  rose  he  said  his  prayers  and  made  his  thanks- 
giving earnestly.  He  then  set  forward  for  another  part  of  the 
country,  only  too  glad  to  leave  the  haunted  plain  behind  him. 


L    2 


(     148    ) 


THE   SAGACIOUS   MONKEY  AND   THE   BOAR. 

Long,  long  ago,  there  lived  in  the  province  of  Shinshin  in 
Japan,  a  travelling  monkey-man,  who  earned  his  living  by 
taking  round  a  monkey  and  showing  off  the  animal's  tricks. 

One  evening  the  man  came  home  in  a  very  bad  temper  and 
told  his  wife  to  send  for  the  butcher  the  next  morning. 

The  wife  was  very  bewildered  and  asked  her  husband  : 

"  Why  do  you  wish  me  to  send  for  the  butcher  ?  " 

"  It's  no  use  taking  that  monkey  round  any  longer,  he's  too 
old  and  forgets  his  tricks.  I  beat  him  with  my  stick  all  I  know 
how,  but  he  won't  dance  properly.  I  must  now  sell  him  to  the 
butcher  and  make  what  money  out  of  him  I  can.  There  is 
nothing  else  to  be  done." 

The  woman  felt  very  sorry  for  the  poor  little  animal, 
and  pleaded  for  her  husband  to  spare  the  monkey,  but  her 
pleading  was  all  in  vain,  the  man  was  determined  to  sell  him 
to  the  butcher. 

Now  the  monkey  was  in  the  next  room  and  overheard 
every  word  of  the  conversation.  He  soon  understood  that  he 
was  to  be  killed,  and  he  said  to  himself: 

"  Barbarous,  indeed,  is  my  master  !  Here  I  have  served 
him  faithfully  for  years,  and  instead  of  allowing  me  to  end  my 
days  comfortably  and  in  peace,  he  is  going  to  let  me  be  cut  up 
by  the  butcher,  and  my  poor  body  is  to  be  roasted  and  stewed 


The  Sagacious  Monkey  and  the  Boar.  149 

and  eaten  ?  Woe  is  me  !  What  am  I  to  do.  Ah  !  a  bright 
thought  has  struck  me !  There  is,  I  know,  a  wild  boar  living 
in  the  forest  near  by.  I  have  often  heard  tell  of  his  wisdom. 
Perhaps  if  I  go  to  him  and  tell  him  the  strait  I  am  in  he  will 
give  me  his  counsel.     I  will  go  and  try." 

There  was  no  time  to  lose.     The  monkey  slipped  out  of  the 
house  and  ran  as  quickly  as  he  could  to  the  forest  to  find  the 


The  Monkey  began  his  Tale  of  Woe, 


boar.     The  boar  was  at  home,  and  the  monkey  began  his  tale 
of  woe  at  once. 

"  Good  Mr.  Boar,  I  have  heard  of  your  excellent  wisdom. 
I  am  in  great  trouble,  you  alone  can  help  me.  I  have  grown 
old  in  the  service  of  my  master,  and  because  I  cannot  dance 
properly  now  he  intends  to  sell  me  to  the  butcher.  What  do 
you  advise  me  to  do  ?     I  know  how  clever  you  are  !  " 


150  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

The  boar  was  pleased  at  the  flattery  and  determined  to 
help  the  monkey.     He  thought  for  a  little  while  and  then  said : 

"  Hasn't  your  master  a  baby?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  monkey,  "  he  has  one  infant  son." 

"  Doesn't  it  lie  by  the  door  in  the  morning  when  your 
mistress  begins  the  work  of  the  day  ?  Well,  I  will  come  round 
early  and  when  I  see  my  opportunity  I  will  seize  the  child 
and  run   off  with    it." 

"  What  then  ?  "  said  the  monkey. 

"  Why  the  mother  will  be  in  a  tremendous  scare,  and  before 
your  master  and  mistress  know  what  to  do,  you  must  run  after 
me  and  rescue  the  child  and  take  it  home  safely  to  its  parents, 
and  you  will  see  that  when  the  butcher  comes  they  won't  have 
the  heart  to  sell  you." 

The  monkey  thanked  the  boar  many  times  and  then  went 
home.  He  did  not  sleep  much  that  night,  as  you  may  imagine, 
for  thinking  of  the  morrow.  .  His  life  depended  on  whether 
the  boar's  plan  succeeded  or  not.  He  was  the  first  up,  waiting 
anxiously  for  what  was  to  happen.  It  seemed  to  him  a  very 
long  time  before  his  master's  wife  began  to  move  about  and 
open  the  shutters  to  let  in  the  light  of  day.  Then  all  happened 
as  the  boar  had  planned.  The  mother  placed  her  child  near 
the  porch  as  usual  while  she  tidied  up  the  house  and  got  her 
breakfast  ready. 

The  child  was  crooning  happily  in  the  morning  sunlight, 
dabbing  on  the  mats  at  the  play  of  light  and  shadow. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  noise  in  the  porch  and  a  loud  cry  from 
the  child.  The  mother  ran  out  from  the  kitchen  to  the  spot, 
only  just  in  time  to  see  the  boar  disappearing  through  the  gate 


The  Sagacious  Monkey  and  the  Boar.         151 

with  her  child  in  its  clutch.  She  flung  out  her  hands  with  a 
loud  cry  of  despair  and  rushed  into  the  inner  room  where  her 
husband  was  still  sleeping  soundly. 


The  Monkey  was  running  after  the  Thief  as  fast  as  his  Legs  would  carry  him. 

He  sat  up  slowly  and  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  crossly  demanded 
what  his  wife  was  making  all  that  noise  about.  By  the  time 
that  the  man  was  alive  to  what  had  happened,  and  they  both 


152  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

got  outside  the  gate,  the  boar  had  got  well  away,  but  they  saw 
the  monkey  running  after  the  thief  as  hard  as  his  legs  would 
carry  him. 

Both  the  man  and  wife  were  moved  to  admiration  at  the 
plucky  conduct  of  the  sagacious  monkey,  and  their  gratitude 
knew  no  bounds  when  the  faithful  monkey  brought  the  child 
safely  back  to  their  arms. 

"  There  !  "  said  the  wife.  "  This  is  the  animal  you  want  to 
'kill — if  the  monkey  hadn't  been  here  we  should  have  lost  our 
child  for  ever." 

"  You  are  right,  wife,  for  once,"  said  the  man  as  he  carried 
the  child  into  the  house.  "  You  may  send  the  butcher  back 
when  he  comes,  and  now  give  us  all  a  good  breakfast  and  the 
monkey  too." 

When  the  butcher  arrived  he  was  sent  away  with  an  order 
for  some  boar's  meat  for  the  evening  dinner,  and  the  monkey 
was  petted  and  lived  the  rest  of  his  days  in  peace,  nor  did  his 
master  ever  strike  him  again. 


(     153    ) 


THE    HAPPY    HUNTER    AND    THE    SKILFUL 

FISHER. 

Long,  long  ago  Japan  was  governed  by  Hohodemi,  the 
fourth  Mikoto  (or  Augustness)  in  descent  from  the  illustrious 
Amaterasu,  the  Sun  Goddess.  He  was  not  only  as  handsome 
as  his  ancestress  was  beautiful,  but  he  was  also  very  strong  and 
brave,  and  was  famous  for  being  the  greatest  hunter  in  the 
land.  Because  of  his  matchless  skill  as  a  hunter,  he  was  called 
"Yama-sachi-hiko"  or  "The  Happy  Hunter  of  the  Mountains." 

His  elder  brother  was  a  very  skilful  fisher,  and  as  he  far 
surpassed  all  rivals  in  fishing,  he  was  named  "  Umi-sachi-hiko  " 
or  the  "  Skilful  Fisher  of  the  Sea."  The  brothers  thus  led 
happy  lives,  thoroughly  enjoying  their  respective  occupations, 
and  the  days  passed  quickly  and  pleasantly  while  each  pursued 
his  own  way,  the  one  hunting  and  the  other  fishing. 

One  day  the  Happy  Hunter  came  to  his  brother,  the  Skilful 
Fisher,  and  said  : 

"  Well,  my  brother,  I  see  you  go  to  the  sea  every  day  with 
your  fishing  rod  in  your  hand,  and  when  you  return  you  come 
laden  with  fish.  And  as  for  me,  it  is  my  pleasure  to  take  my 
bow  and  arrow  and  to  hunt  the  wild  animals  up  the  mountains 
and  down  in  the  valleys.  For  a  long  time  we  have  each 
followed  our  favourite  occupation,  so  that  now  we  must  both 
be  tired,  you  of  your  fishing  and  I  of  my  hunting.     Would  it 


154  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

not  be  wise  for  us  to  make  a  change  ?  Will  .you  try  hunting 
in  the  mountains  and  I  will  go  and  fish  in  the  sea  ?  " 

The  Skilful  Fisher  listened  in  silence  to  his  brother,  and 
for  a  moment  was  thoughtful,  but  at  last  he  answered  : 

"O  yes,  why  not?  Your  idea  is  not  a  bad  one  at  all. 
Give  me  your  bow  and  arrow  and  I  will  set  out  at  once  for 
the  mountains  and  hunt  for  game." 

So  the  matter  was  settled  by  this  talk,  and  the  two  brothers 
each  started  out  to  try  the  other's  occupation,  little  dreaming 
of  all  that  would  happen.  It  was  very  unwise  of  them,  for  the 
Happy  Hunter  knew  nothing  of  fishing,  and  the  Skilful  Fisher, 
who  was  bad  tempered,  knew  as  much  about  hunting. 

The  Happy  Hunter  took  his  brother's  much-prized  fishing 
hook  and  rod  and  went  down  to  the  seashore  and  sat  on  the 
rocks.  He  baited  his  hook  and  then  threw  it  into  the  sea 
clumsily.  He  sat  and  gazed  at  the  little  float  bobbing  up  and 
down  in  the  water,  and  longed  for  a  good  fish  to  come  and  be 
caught.  Every  time  the  buoy  moved  a  little  he  pulled  up  his 
rod,  but  there  was  never  a  fish  at  the  end  of  it,  only  the  hook 
and  the  bait.  If  he  had  known  how  to  fish  properly,  he  would 
have  been  able  to  catch  plenty  of  fish,  but  although  he  was  the 
greatest  hunter  in  the  land  he  could  not  help  being  the  most 
bungling  fisher. 

The  whole  day  passed  in  this  way,  while  he  sat  on  the 
rocks  holding  the  fishing  rod  and  waiting  in  vain  for  his  luck 
to  turn.  At  last  the  day  began  to  darken,  and  the  evening 
came ;  still  he  had  caught  not  a  single  fish.  Drawing  up  his 
line  for  the  last  time  before  going  home,  he  found  that  he  had 
lost  his  hook  without  even  knowing  when  he  had  dropped  it. 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.     155 


V'.^K 


The  Happy  Hunter  in  vain  besought  his  Brother  to  Pardon  him. 


156  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

He  now  began  to  feel  extremely  anxious,  for  he  knew  that 
his  brother  would  be  angry  at  his  having  lost  his  hook  for,  it 
being  his  only  one,  he  valued  it  above  all  other  things.  The 
Happy  Hunter  now  set  to  work  to  look  among  the  rocks  and 
on  the  sand  for  the  lost  hook,  and  while  he  was  searching  to 
and  fro,  his  brother,  the  Skilful  Fisher,  arrived  on  the  scene. 
He  had  failed  to  find  any  game  while  hunting  that  day,  and 
was  not  only  in  a  bad  temper,  but  looked  fearfully  cross.  When 
he  saw  the  Happy  Hunter  searching  about  on  the  shore  he  knew 
that  something  must  have  gone  wrong,  so  he  said  at  once : 

"  What  are  you  doing,  my  brother  ?  " 

The  Happy  Hunter  went  forward  timidly,  for  he  feared  his 
brother's  anger,  and  said  : 

"  Oh,  my  brother,  I  have  indeed  done  badly." 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? — what  have  you  done  ?  "  asked  the 
elder  brother  impatiently. 

"  I  have  lost  your  precious  fishing  hook " 

While  he  was  still  speaking  his  brother  stopped  him,  and 
cried  out  fiercely  : 

"Lost  my  hook!  It  is  just  what  I  expected.  For  this 
reason,  when  you  first  proposed  your  plan  of  changing  over 
our  occupations  I  was  really  against  it,  but  you  seemed  to  wish 
it  so  much  that  I  gave  in  and  allowed  you  to  do  as  you  wished. 
The  mistake  of  our  trying  unfamiliar  tasks  is  soon,  seen  ! 
And  you  have  done  badly.  I  will  not  return  you  your  bow  and 
arrow  till  you  have  found  my  hook.  Look  to  it  that  you  find 
it  and  return  it  to  me  quickly." 

The  Happy  Hunter  felt  that  he  was  to  blame  for  all  that 
had  come  to  pass,  and  bore  his  brother's  scornful  scolding  with 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.     157 

humility  and  patience.  He  hunted  everywhere  for  the  hook 
most  diligently,  but  it  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  He  was  at 
last  obliged  to  give  up  all  hope  of  finding  it.  He  then  went 
home,  and  in  desperation  broke  his  beloved  sword  into  pieces 
and  made  five  hundred  hooks  out  of  it. 

He  took  these  to  his  angry  brother  and  offered  them  to 
him,  asking  his  forgiveness,  and  begging  him  to  accept  them  in 
the  place  of  the  one  he  had  lost  for  him.  It  was  useless  ;  his 
brother  would  not  listen  to  him,  much  less  grant  his  request. 

The  Happy  Hunter  then  made  another  five  hundred 
hooks,  and  again  took  them  to  his  brother,  beseeching  him 
to  pardon  him. 

"  Though  you  make  a  million  hooks,"  said  the  Skilful 
Fisher,  shaking  his  head,  "they  are  of  no  use  to  me.  I 
cannot  forgive  you  unless  you  bring  me  back  my  own  hook." 

Nothing  would  appease  the  anger  of  the  Skilful  Fisher,  for 
he  had  a  bad  disposition,  and  had  always  hated  his  brother 
because  of  his  virtues,  and  now  with  the  excuse  of  the  lost 
fishing  hook  he  planned  to  kill  him  and  to  usurp  his  place 
as  ruler  of  Japan.  The  Happy  Hunter  knew  all  this  full  well, 
but  he  could  say  nothing,  for  being  the  younger  he  owed  his 
elder  brother  obedience ;  so  he  returned  to  the  seashore  and 
once  more  began  to  look  for  the  missing  hook.  He  was  much 
cast  down,  for  he  had  lost  all  hope  of  ever  finding  his  brother's 
hook  now.  While  he  stood  on  the  beach,  lost  in  perplexity 
and  wondering  what  he  had  best  do  next,  an  old  man 
suddenly  appeared  carrying  a  stick  in  his  hand.  The  Happy 
Hunter  afterwards  remembered  that  he  did  not  see  from 
whence  the  old  man  came,  neither  did  he  know  how  he  was 


158  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

there — he  happened  to  look  up  and  saw  the  old  man  coming 
towards  him. 

"  You  are  Hohodemi,  the  Augustness,  sometimes  called 
the  Happy  Hunter,  are  you  not  ?  "  asked  the  old  man.  "  What 
are  you  doing  alone  in  such  a  place  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  he,"  answered  the  unhappy  young  man. 
"  Unfortunately,  while  fishing  I  lost  my  brother's  precious 
fishing  hook.  I  have  hunted  this  shore  all  over,  but  alas ! 
I  cannot  find  it,  and  I  am  very  troubled,  for  my  brother  won't 
forgive  me  till  I  restore  it  to  him.     But  who  are  you  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Shiwozuchino  Okina,  and  I  live  near  by  on 
this  shore.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  what  misfortune  has  befallen 
you.  You  must  indeed  be  anxious.  But  if  I  tell  you  what  I 
think,  the  hook  is  nowhere  here — it  is  either  at  the  bottom  of 
the  sea  or  in  the  body  of  some  fish  who  has  swallowed  it,  and 
for  this  reason,  though  you  spend  your  whole  life  in  looking  for 
it  here,  you  will  never  find  it." 

"  Then  what  can  I  do  ?  "  asked  the  distressed  man. 

"  You  had  better  go  down  to  Ryn  Gu  and  tell  Ryn  Jin,  the 
Dragon  King  of  the  Sea,  what  your  trouble  is  and  ask  him  to 
find  the  hook  for  you.     I  think  that  would  be  the  best  way." 

"  Your  idea  is  a  splendid  one,"  said  the  Happy  Hunter, 
"but  I  fear  I  cannot  get  to  the  Sea  King's  realm,  for  I  have 
always  heard  that  it  is  situated  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

"  Oh,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  about  your  getting  there," 
said  the  old  man  ;  "  I  can  soon  make  something  for  you  to  ride 
on  through  the  sea." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  Happy  Hunter,  "  I  shall  be  very 
grateful  to  you  if  you  will  be  so  kind  !  " 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.      159 

• 

The  old  man  at  once  set  to  work,  and  soon  made  a  basket 
and  offered  it  to  the  Happy  Hunter.  He  received  it  with  joy, 
and  taking  it  to  the  water,  mounted  it,  and  prepared  to  start. 
He  bade  good-bye  to  the  kind  old  man  who  had  helped  him  so 
much,  and  told  him  that  he  would  certainly  reward  him  as  soon 
as  he  found  his  hook  and  could  return  to  Japan  without  fear  of 
his  brother's  anger.  The  old  man  pointed  out  the  direction  he 
must  take,  and  told  him  how  to  reach  the  realm  of  Ryn  Gu, 
and  watched  him  ride  out  to  sea  on  the  basket,  which  resembled 
a  small  boat. 

The  Happy  Hunter  made  all  the  haste  he  could,  riding  on 
the  basket  which  had  been  given  him  by  his  friend.  His  queer 
boat  seemed  to  go  through  the  water  of  its  own  accord,  and  the 
distance  was  much  shorter  than  he  had  expected,  for  in  a  few 
hours  he  caught  sight  of  the  gate  and  the  roof  of  the  Sea 
King's  Palace.  And  what  a  large  place  it  was,  with  its 
numberless  sloping  roofs  and  gables,  its  huge  gateways,  and 
its  grey  stone  walls !  He  soon  landed,  and  leaving  his  basket 
on  the  beach,  he  walked  up  to  the  large  gateway.  The  pillars 
of  the  gate  were  made  of  beautiful  red  coral,  and  the  gate 
itself  was  adorned  with  glittering  gems  of  all  kinds.  Large 
katsura  trees  overshadowed  it.  Our  hero  had  often  heard  of 
the  wonders  of  the  Sea  King's  Palace  beneath  the  sea,  but  all 
the  stories  he  had  ever  heard  fell  short  of  the  reality  which  he 
now  saw  for  the  first  time. 

The  Happy  Hunter  would  have  liked  to  enter  the  gate 
there  and  then,  but  he  saw  that  it  was  fast  closed,  and  also 
that  there  was  no  one  about  whom  he  could  ask  to  open  it  for 
him,  so  he  stopped  to  think  what  he  should  do.     In  the  shade  of 


160  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

the  trees  before  the  gate  he  noticed  a  well  full  of  fresh  spring 
water.  Surely  someone  would  come  out  to  draw  water  from 
the  well  some  time,  he  thought.  Then  he  climbed  into  the 
tree  overhanging  the  well,  and  seated  himself  to  rest  on  one  of 
the  branches,  and  waited  for  what  might  happen.  Ere  long  he 
saw  the  huge  gate  swing  open,  and  two  beautiful  women  came 
out.  Now  the  Mikoto  (Augustness)  had  always  heard  that 
Ryn  Gu  was  the  realm  of  the  Dragon  King  under  the  Sea, 
and  had  naturally  supposed  that  the  place  was  inhabited  by 
dragons  and  similar  terrible  creatures,  so  that  when  he  saw 
these  two  lovely  princesses,  whose  beauty  would  be  rare  even 
in  the  world  from  which  he  had  just  come,  he  was  exceedingly 
surprised,  and  wondered  what  it  could  mean. 

He  said  not  a  word,  however,  but  silently  gazed  at  them 
through  the  foliage  of  the  trees,  waiting  to  see  what  they 
would  do.  He  saw  that  in  their  hands  they  carried  golden 
buckets.  Slowly  and  gracefully  in  their  trailing  garments  they 
approached  the  well,  standing  in  the  shade  of  the  katsura 
trees,  and  were  about  to  draw  water,  all  unknowing  of  the 
stranger  who  was  watching  them,  for  the  Happy  Hunter  was 
quite  hidden  among  the  branches  of  the  tree  where  he  had 
posted  himself. 

As  the  two  ladies  leaned  over  the  side  of  the  well  to  let 
down  their  golden  buckets,  which  they  did  every  day  in  the 
year,  they  saw  reflected  in  the  deep  still  water  the  face  of  a 
handsome  youth  gazing  at  them  from  amidst  the  branches  ot 
the  tree  in  whose  shade  they  stood.  Never  before  had  they 
seen  the  face  of  mortal  man  ;  they  were  frightened,  and  drew 
back  quickly  with  their  golden  buckets  in  their  hands.     Their 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.     161 

curiosity,  however,  soon  gave  them  courage,  and  they  glanced 
timidly  upwards  to  see  the  cause  of  the  unusual  reflection,  and 
then  they  beheld  the  Happy  Hunter  sitting  in  the  tree  looking 
down  at  them  with  surprise  and  admiration.  They  gazed  at 
him  face  to  face,  but  their  tongues  were  still  with  wonder  and 
they  could  not  find  a  word  to  say  to  him. 

When  the  Mikoto  saw  that  he  was  discovered,  he  sprang 
down  lightly  from  the  tree  and  said  : 

"  I  am  a  traveller,  and  as  I  was  very  thirsty  I  came  to  the 
well  in  the  hopes  of  quenching  my  thirst,  but  I  could  find  no 
bucket  with  which  to  draw  the  water.  So  I  climbed  into  the 
tree,  much  vexed,  and  waited  for  someone  to  come.  Just  at  that 
moment,  while  I  was  thirstily  and  impatiently  waiting,  you 
noble  ladies  appeared,  as  if  in  answer  to  my  great  need. 
Therefore  I  pray  you  of  your  mere)'  give  me  some  water  to 
drink,  for  I  am  a  thirsty  traveller  in  a  strange  land." 

His  dignity  and  graciousness  overruled  their  timidity,  and 
bowing  in  silence  they  both  once  more  approached  the  well, 
and  letting  down  their  golden  buckets  drew  up  some  water  and 
poured  it  into  a  jewelled  cup  and  offered  it  to  the  stranger. 

He  received  it  from  them  with  both  hands,  raising  it  to  the 
height  of  his  forehead  in  token  of  high  respect  and  pleasure, 
and  then  drank  the  water  quickly,  for  his  thirst  was  great. 
When  he  had  finished  his  long  draught  he  set  the  cup  down 
on  the  edge  of  the  well,  and  drawing  his  short  sword  he  cut  oft 
one  of  the  strange  curved  jewels  (inagatama),  a  necklace  of 
which  hung  round  his  neck  and  fell  over  his  breast.  He  placed 
the  jewel  in  the  cup  and  returned  it  to  them,  and  said,  bowing 
deeply: 

f.b.  M 


1 62  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  This  is  a  token  of  my  thanks  !  " 

The  two  ladies  took  the  cup,  and  looking  into  it  to  see 
what  he  had  put  inside — for  they  did  not  yet  know  what  it  was 
— they  gave  a  start  of  surprise,  for  there  lay  a  beautiful  gem  at 
the  bottom  of  the  cup. 

"  No  ordinary  mortal  would  give  away  a  jewel  so  freely. 
Will  you  not  honour  us  by  telling  us  who  you  are  ?  "  said  the 
elder  damsel. 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  Happy  Hunter,  "  I  am  Hohodemi, 
the  fourth  Mikoto,  also  called  in  Japan,  the  Happy  Hunter." 

"  Are  you  indeed  Hohodemi,  the  grandson  of  Amaterasu, 
the  Sun  Goddess  ?  "  asked  the  damsel  who  had  spoken  first. 
"  I  am  the  eldest  daughter  ofRynJin,  the  King  of  the  Sea,  and 
my  name  is  Princess  Tayotama." 

"  And,"  said  the  younger  maiden,  who  at  last  found  her 
tongue,  "  I  am  her  sister,  the  Princess  Tamayori." 

"  Are  you  indeed  the  daughters  of  Ryn  Jin,  the  King  of  the 
Sea?  I  cannot  tell  you  how  glad  I  am  to  meet  you,"  said 
the  Happy  Hunter.  And  without  waiting  for  them  to  reply  he 
went  on  : 

"  The  other  day  I  went  fishing  with  my  brother's  hook  and 
dropped  it,  how,  I  am  sure  I  can't  tell.  As  my  brother  prizes 
his  fishing  hook  above  all  his  other  possessions,  this  is  the 
greatest  calamity  that  could  have  befallen  me.  Unless  I  find 
it  again  I  can  never  hope  to  win  my  brother's  forgiveness,  for 
he  is  very  angry  at  what  I  have  done.  I  have  searched  for  it 
many,  many  times,  but  I  cannot  find  it,  therefore  I  am  much 
troubled.  While  I  was  hunting  for  the  hook,  in  great  distress, 
I  met  a  wise  old  man,  and  he  told  me  that  the  best  thing  I 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful   Fisher.      163 

could  do  was  to  come  to  Ryn  Gu,  and  to  Ryn  Jin,  the  Dragon 
King  of  the  Sea,  and  ask  him  to  help  me.  This  kind  old  man 
also  showed  me  how  to  come.  Now  you  know  how  it  is  I  am 
here,  and  why.  I  want  to  ask  Ryn  Jin  if  he  knows  where  the 
lost  hook  is.  Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  take  me  to  your  father  ? 
And  do  you  think  he  will  see  me  ?  "  asked  the  Happy  Hunter 
anxiously. 

Princess  Tayotama  listened  to  this  long  story,  and  then 
said  : 

"  Not  only  is  it  easy  for  you  to  see  my  father,  but  he  will  be 
much  pleased  to  meet  you.  I  am  sure  he  will  say  that  good 
fortune  has  befallen  him,  that  so  great  and  noble  a  man  as 
you,  the  grandson  of  Amaterasu,  should  come  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  sea."  And  then  turning  to  her  younger  sister, 
she  said  : 

"  Do  you  not  think  so,  Tamayori  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  answered  the  Princess  Tamayori,  in  her 
sweet  voice.  "  As  you  say,  we  can  know  no  greater  honour 
than  to  welcome  the  Mikoto  to   our  home." 

"  Then  I  ask  you  to  be  so  kind  as  to  lead  the  way,"  said 
the  Happy  Hunter. 

"  Condescend  to  enter,  Mikoto  (Augustness),"  said  both  the 
sisters,  and  bowing  low,  they  led  him  through  the  gate. 

The  younger  Princess  left  her  sister  to  take  charge  of  the 
Happy  Hunter,  and  going  faster  than  the)',  she  reached  the 
Sea  King's  Palace  first,  and  running  quickly  to  her  father's 
room,  she  told  him  of  all  that  had  happened  to  them  at  the 
gate,  and  that  her  sister  was  even  now  bringing  the  Augutness 
to  him.      The  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea  was  much  surprised  at 

M   2 


164  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

the  news,  for  it  was  but  seldom,  perhaps  only  once  in  several 
hundred  years,  that  the  Sea  King's  Palace  was  visited  by 
mortals. 

Ryn  Jin  at  once  clapped  his  hands  and  summoned  all  his 
courtiers  and  the  servants  of  the  Palace,  and  the  chief  fish  of 
the  sea  together,  and  solemnly  told  them  that  the  grandson  of 
the  Sun  Goddess,  Amaterasu,  was  coming  to  the  Palace,  and 
that  they  must  be  very  ceremonious  and  polite  in  serving  the 
august  visitor.  He  then  ordered  them  all  to  the  entrance  of 
the  Palace  to  welcome  the  Happy  Hunter. 

Ryn  Jin  then  dressed  himself  in  his  robes  of  ceremony,  and 
went  out  to  welcome  him.  In  a  few  moments  the  Princess 
Tayotama  and  the  Happy  Hunter  reached  the  entrance,  and 
the  Sea  King  and  his  wife  bowed  to  the  ground  arid  thanked 
him  for  the  honour  he  did  them  in  coming  to  see  them.  The 
Sea  King  then  led  the  Happy  Hunter  to  the  guest  room,  and 
placing  him  in  the  uppermost  seat,  he  bowed  respectfully  before 
him,  and  said : 

"  I  am  Ryn  Jin,  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea,  and  this  is 
my  wife.     Condescend  to  remember  us  for  ever  !  " 

"  Are  you  indeed  Ryn  Jin,  the  King  of  the  Sea,  of  whom  I 
have  so  often  heard  ?  "  answered  the  Happy  Hunter,  saluting 
his  host  most  ceremoniously.  "  I  must  apologise  for  all  the 
trouble  I  am  giving  you  by  my  unexpected  visit."  And  he 
bowed  again,  and  thanked  the  Sea  King. 

"  You  need  not  thank  me,"  said  Ryn  Jin.  "  It  is  I  who 
must  thank  you  for  coming.  Although  the  Sea  Palace  is  a 
poor  place,  as  you  see,  I  shall  be  highly  honoured  if  you  will 
make  us  a  long  visit." 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.     165 

There  was  much  gladness  between  the  Sea  King  and 
the  Happy  Hunter,  and  they  sat  and  talked  for  a  long  time. 
At  last  the  Sea  King  clapped  his  hands,  and  then  a  huge 
retinue  of  fishes  appeared,  all  robed  in  ceremonial  garments, 
and  bearing  in  their  fins  various  trays  on  which  all  kinds  of  sea 
delicacies  were  served.  A  great  feast  was  now  spread  before 
the  King  and  his  Royal  guest.  All  the  fishes-in-waiting  were 
chosen  from  amongst  the  finest  fish  in  the  sea,  so  you  can 
imagine  what  a  wonderful  array  of  sea  creatures  it  was  that 
waited  upon  the  Happy  Hunter  that  day.  All  in  the  Palace 
tried  to  do  their  best  to  please  him  and  to  show  him  that  he 
was  a  much  honoured  guest.  During  the  long  repast,  which 
lasted  for  hours,  Ryn  Jin  commanded  his  daughters  to  play 
some  music,  and  the  two  Princesses  came  in  and  performed  on 
the  koto  (the  Japanese  harp),  and  sang  and  danced  in  turns. 
The  time  passed  so  pleasantly  that  the  Happy  Hunter  seemed 
to  forget  his  trouble  and  why  he  had  come  at  all  to  the  Sea 
King's  Realm,  and  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  enjoyment  of  this 
wonderful  place,  the  land  of  fairy  fishes  !  Who  has  ever  heard 
of  such  a  marvellous  place?  But  the  Mikoto  soon  remembered 
what  had  brought  him  to  Ryn  Gu,  and  said  to  his  host : 

"  Perhaps  your  daughters  have  told  you,  King  Ryn  Jin,  that 
I  have  come  here  to  try  and  recover  my  brother's  fishing  hook, 
which  I  lost  while  fishing  the  other  day.  May  I  ask  you  to  be 
so  kind  as  to  inquire  of  all  your  subjects  if  any  of  them  have 
seen  a  fishing  hook  lost  in  the  sea  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  obliging  Sea  King,  "  I  will  immediately 
summon  them  all  here  and  ask  them." 

As  soon  as  he  had  issued  his  command,  the   octopus,  the 


166  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

cuttlefish,  the  bonito,  the  oxtail  fish,  the  eel,  the  jelly  fish, 
the  shrimp,  and  the  plaice,  and  many  other  fishes  of  all  kinds 
came  in  and  sat  down  before  Ryn  Jin  their  King,  and  arranged 
themselves  and  their  fins  in  order.  Then  the  Sea  King  said 
solemnly : 

"  Our  visitor  who  is  sitting  before  you  all  is  the  august 
grandson  of  Amaterasu.  His  name  is  Hohodemi,  the  fourth 
Augustness,  and  he  is  also  called  the  Happy  Hunter  of  the 
Mountains.  While  he  was  fishing  the  other  day  upon  the 
shore  of  Japan,  someone  robbed  him  of  his  brother's  fishing 
hook.  He  has  come  all  this  way  down  to  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  to  our  Kingdom  because  he  thought  that  one  of  you  fishes 
may  have  taken  the  hook  from  him  in  mischievous  play. 
If  any  of  you  have  done  so  you  must  immediately  return 
it,  or  if  any  of  you  know  who  the  thief  is  you  must  at  once  tell 
us  his  name  and  where  he  is  now." 

All  the  fishes  were  taken  by  surprise  when  they  heard  these 
words,  and  could  say  nothing  for  some  time.  They  sat  looking 
at  each  other  and  at  the  Dragon  King.  At  last  the  cuttlefish 
came  forward  and  said  : 

"  I  think  the  tai  (the  red  bream)  must  be  the  thief  who 
has  stolen  the  hook  !  " 

"  Where  is  your  proof?  "  asked  the  King. 

"  Since  yesterday  evening  the  tai  has  not  been  able  to  eat 
anything,  and  he  seems  to  be  suffering  from  a  bad  throat ! 
For  this  reason  I  think  the  hook  may  be  in  his  throat.  You 
had  better  send  for  him  at  once  !  " 

All  the  fish  agreed  to  this,  and  said : 

"It  is  certainly  strange  that  the  tai  is  the  only  fish  who 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.      167 

has  not  obeyed  your  summons.     Will  you  send  for  him   and 
inquire  into  the  matter.     Then  our  innocence  will  be  proved." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Sea  King,  "it  is  strange  that  the  tai  has 
not  come,  for  he  ought  to  be  the  first  to  be  here.  Send  for  him 
at  once  !  " 

Without  waiting  for  the  King's  order  the  cuttlefish  had 
already  started  for  the  tai's  dwelling,  and  he  now  returned, 
bringing  the  tai  with  him.     He  led  him  before  the  King. 

The  tai  sat  there  looking  frightened  and  ill.  He  certainly 
was  in  pain,  for  his  usually  red  face  was  pale,  and  his  eyes  were 
nearly  closed  and  looked  but  half  their  usual  size. 

"Answer,  0  Tai!  "  cried  the  Sea  King,  "why  did  you  not 
come  in  answer  to  my  summons  to-day  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  ill  since  yesterday,"  answered  the  tai;  "that 
is  why  I  could  not  come." 

"  Don't  say  another  word  !  "  cried  out  Ryn  Jin  angrily. 
"  Your  illness  is  the  punishment  of  the  gods  for  stealing  the 
Mikoto's  hook." 

"  It  is  only  too  true!"  said  the  tai;  "the  hook  is  still  in  my 
throat,  and  all  my  efforts  to  get  it  out  have  been  useless. 
I  can't  eat,  and  I  can  scarcely  breathe,  and  each  moment 
I  feel  that  it  will  choke  me,  and  sometimes  it  gives  me  great 
pain.  I  had  no  intention  of  stealing  the  Mikoto's  hook.  I 
heedlessly  snapped  at  the  bait  which  I  saw  in  the  water,  and 
the  hook  came  off  and  stuck  in  my  throat.  So  I  hope  you  will 
pardon  me." 

The  cuttlefish  now  came  forward,  and  said  to  the  King : 

"What  I  said  was  right.  You  see  the  hook  still  sticks  in 
the    tai's   throat.     I    hope    to    be    able  to  pull  it   out    in    the 


1 68 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


presence  of  the    Mikoto,    and  then  we  can  return  it  to    him 
safely!" 

"  O  please  make  haste  and  pull  it  out !  "  cried  the  tai,  piti- 
fully, for  he  felt  the  pains  in  his  throat  coming  on  again  ;  "  I  do 
so  want  to  return  the  hook  to  the  Mikoto." 


The  Cuttlefish  opened  the   Tai's   Mouth. 

"  All  right,  Tai  San,"  said  his  friend  the  cuttlefish,  and  then 
opening  the  tai's  mouth  as  wide  as  he  could  and  putting  one 
of  his  feelers  down  the  tai's  throat,  he  quickly  and  easily  drew 
the  hook  out  of  the  sufferer's  large  mouth.  He  then  washed  it 
.and  brought  it  to  the  King. 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.     169 

Ryn  Jin  took  the  hook  from  his  subject,  and  then  respect- 
fully returned  it  to  the  Happy  Hunter  (the  Mikoto  or  August- 
ness,  the  fishes  called  him),  who  was  overjoyed  at  getting 
back  his  hook.  He  thanked  Ryn  Jin  many  times,  his  face 
beaming  with  gratitude,  and  said  that  he  owed  the  happy 
ending  of  his  quest  to  the  Sea  King's  wise  authority  and 
kindness. 

Ryn  Jin  now  desired  to  punish  the  tai,  but  the  Happy 
Hunter  begged  him  not  to  do  so  ;  since  his  lost  hook  was  thus 
happily  recovered  he  did  not  wish  to  make  more  trouble  for  the 
poor  tai.  It  was  indeed  the  tai  who  had  taken  the  hook,  but 
he  had  already  suffered  enough  for  his  fault,  if  fault  it  could  be 
called.  What  had  been  done  was  done  in  heedlessness  and  not 
by  intention.  The  Happy  Hunter  said  he  blamed  himself;  if 
he  had  understood  how  to  fish  properly  he  would  never  have 
lost  his  hook,  and  therefore  all  this  trouble  had  been  caused  in 
the  first  place  by  his  trying  to  do  something  which  he  did  not 
know  how  to  do.  So  he  begged  the  Sea  King  to  forgive  his 
subject. 

Who  could  resist  the  pleading  of  so  wise  and  compassionate 
a  judge  ?  Ryn  Jin  forgave  his  subject  at  once  at  the  request  of 
his  august  guest.  The  tai  was  so  glad  that  he  shook  his  fins 
for  joy,  and  he  and  all  the  other  fish  went  out  from  the  presence 
of  their  King,  praising  the  virtues  of  the  Happy  Hunter. 

Now  that  the  hook  was  found  the  Happy  Hunter  had 
nothing  to  keep  him  in  Ryn  Gu,  and  he  was  anxious  to 
get  back  to  his  own  kingdom  and  to  make  peace  with  his  angry 
brother,  the  Skilful  Fisher  ;  but  the  Sea  King,  who  had  learnt  to 
love  him  and  would  fain  have  kept  him  as  a  son,  begged  him 


170  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

not  to  go  so  soon,  but  to  make  the  Sea  Palace  his  home  as  long 
as  ever  he  liked.  While  the  Happy  Hunter  was  still  hesitating, 
the  two  lovely  Princesses,  Tayotama  and  Tamayori,  came,  and 
with  the  sweetest  of  bows  and  voices  joined  with  their  father 
in  pressing  him  to  stay,  so  that  without  seeming  ungracious  he 
could  not  say  them  "  Nay,"  and  was  obliged  to  stay  on  for 
some  time. 

Between  the  Sea  Realm  and  the  Earth  there  was  no  differ- 
ence in  the  flight  of  time,  and  the  Happy  Hunter  found  that 
three  years  went  fleeting  quickly  by  in  this  delightful  land. 
The  years  pass  swiftly  when  anyone  is  truly  happy.  But 
though  the  wonders  of  that  enchanted  land  seemed  to  be  new 
every  day,  and  though  the  Sea  King's  kindness  seemed  rather 
to  increase  than  to  grow  less  with  time,  the  Happy  Hunter 
grew  more  and  more  homesick  as  the  days  passed,  and  he 
could  not  repress  a  great  anxiety  to  know  what  had  happened  to 
his  home  and  his  country  and  his  brother  while  he  had  been 
away. 

So  at  last  he  went  to  the  Sea  King  and  said : 
"  My  stay  with  you  here  has  been  most  happy  and  I  am 
very  grateful  to  you  for  all  your  kindness  to  me,  but  I  govern 
Japan,  and,  delightful  as  this  place  is,  I  cannot  absent 
myself  for  ever  from  my  country.  I  must  also  return  the 
fishing  hook  to  my  brother  and  ask  his  forgiveness  for  having 
deprived  him  of  it  for  so  long.  I  am  indeed  very  sorry  to  part 
from  you,  but  this  time  it  cannot  be  helped.  With  your 
gracious  permission,  I  will  take  my  leave  to  day.  I  hope  to 
make  you  another  visit  some  day.  Please  give  up  the  idea  of 
my  staying  longer  now." 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.      171 

King  Ryn  Jin  was  overcome  with  sorrow  at  the  thought 
that  he  must  lose  his  friend  who  had  made  a  great  diversion  in 
the  Palace  of  the  Sea,  and  his  tears  fell  fast  as  he  answered  : 

"  We  are  indeed  very  sorry  to  part  with  you,  Mikoto,  for  we 
have  enjoyed  your  stay  with  us  very  much.  You  have  been  a 
noble  and  honoured  guest  and  we  have  heartily  made  you 
welcome.  I  quite  understand  that  as  you  govern  Japan  you 
ought  to  be  there  and  not  here,  and  that  it  is  vain  for  us  to  try 
and  keep  you  longer  with  us,  much  as  we  would  like  to  have 
you  stay.  I  hope  you  will  not  forget  us.  Strange  circum- 
stances have  brought  us  together  and  I  trust  the  friendship 
thus  begun  between  the  Land  and  the  Sea  will  last  and  grow 
stronger  than  it  has  ever  been  before." 

When  the  Sea  King  had  finished  speaking  he  turned  to  his 
two  daughters  and  bade  them  bring  him  the  two  Tide-Jewels 
of  the  Sea.  The  two  Princesses  bowed  low,  rose  and  glided 
out  of  the  hall.  In  a  few  minutes  they  returned,  each  one 
carrying  in  her  hands  a  flashing  gem  which  filled  the  room 
with  light.  As  the  Happy  Hunter  looked  at  them  he  wondered 
what  they  could  be.  The  Sea  King  took  them  from  his 
daughters  and  said  to  his  guest  : 

"  These  two  valuable  talismans  we  have  inherited  from  our 
ancestors  from  time  immemorial.  We  now  give  them  to  you 
as  a  parting  gift  in  token  of  our  great  affection  for  you.  These 
two  gems  are  called  the  Nanjiu  and  the  Kanjiu." 

The  Happy  Hunter  bowed  low  to  the  ground  and  said: 

"  I  can  never  thank  you  enough  for  all  your  kindness  to 
me.  And  now  will  you  add  one  more  favour  to  the  rest  and  tell 
me  what  these  jewels  are  and  what  I  am  to  do  with  them  ?  " 


172  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  The  Nanjiu,"  answered  the  Sea  King,  "  is  also  called  the 
Jewel  of  the  Flood  Tide,  and  whoever  holds  it  in  his  posses- 
sion can  command  the  sea  to  roll  in  and  to  flood  the  land  at 
any  time  that  he  wills.  The  Kanjiu  is  also  called  the  Jewel 
of  the  Ebbing  Tide,  and  this  gem  controls  the  sea  and 
the  waves  thereof,  and  will  cause  even  a  tidal  wave  to 
recede." 

Then  Ryn  Jin  showed  his  friend  how  to  use  the  talismans 
one  by  one  and  handed  them  to  him.  The  Happy  Hunter  was 
very  glad  to  have  these  two  wonderful  gems,  the  Jewel  of  the 
Flood  Tide  and  the  Jewel  of  the  Ebbing  Tide,  to  take  back 
with  him,  for  he  felt  that  they  would  preserve  him  in  case  of 
danger  from  enemies  at  any  time.  After  thanking  his  kind 
host  again  and  again,  he  prepared  to  depart.  The  Sea  King 
and  the  two  Princesses,  Tayotama  and  Tamayori,  and  all  the 
inmates  of  the  Palace,  came  out  to  say  "  Good-bye,"  and 
before  the  sound  of  the  last  farewell  had  died  away  the  Happy 
Hunter  passed  out  from  under  the  great  gateway,  past  the 
well  of  happy  memory  standing  in  the  shade  of  the  great 
katsura  trees  on  his  way  to  the  beach. 

Here  he  found,  instead  of  the  queer  basket  on  which  he  had 
come  to  the  Realm  of  Ryn  Gu,  a  large  crocodile  waiting  for  him. 
Never  had  he  seen  such  a  huge  creature.  It  measured  eight 
fathoms  in  length  from  the  tip  of  its  tail  to  the  end  of  its  long 
mouth.  The  Sea  King  had  ordered  the  monster  to  carry  the 
Happy  Hunter  back  to  Japan.  Like  the  wonderful  basket  which 
Shiwozuchino  Okina  had  made,  it  could  travel  faster  than  any 
steamboat,  and  in  this  strange  way,  riding  on  the  back 
of  a  crocodile,  the  Happy  Hunter  returned  to  his  own  land. 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.      173 

As  soon  as  the  crocodile  landed  him,  the  Happy  Hunter 
hastened  to  tell  the  Skilful  Fisher  of  his  safe  return.  He  then  gave 
him  back  the  fishing  hook  which  had  been  found  in  the  mouth 
of  the  tai  and  which  had  been  the  cause  of  so  much  trouble 
between  them.  He  earnestly  begged  his  brother's  forgiveness, 
telling  him  all  that  had  happened  to  him  in  the  Sea  King's 
Palace  and  what  wonderful  adventures  had  led  to  the  finding 
of  the  hook. 

Now  the  Skilful  Fisher  had  used  the  lost  hook  as  an  excuse 
for  driving  his  brother  out  of  the  country.  When  his  brother 
had  left  him  that  day  three  years  ago,  and  had  not  returned,  he 
had  been  very  glad  in  his  evil  heart  and  had  at  once  usurped 
his  brother's  place  as  ruler  of  the  land,  and  had  become 
powerful  and  rich.  Now  in  the  midst  of  enjoying  what  did  not 
belong  to  him,  and  hoping  that  his  brother  might  never  return 
to  claim  his  rights,  quite  unexpectedly  there  stood  the  Happy 
Hunter  before  him. 

The  Skilful  Fisher  feigned  forgiveness,  for  he  could  make 
no  more  excuses  for  sending  his  brother  away  again,  but  in  his 
heart  he  was  very  angry  and  hated  his  brother  more  and  more, 
till  at  last  he  could  no  longer  bear  the  sight  of  him  day 
after  day,  and  planned  and  watched  for  an  opportunity  to 
kill  him. 

One  day  when  the  Happy  Hunter  was  walking  in  the  rice 
fields  his  brother  followed  him  with  a  dagger.  The  Happy 
Hunter  knew  that  his  brother  was  following  him  to  kill  him, 
and  he  felt  that  now,  in  this  hour  of  great  danger,  was  the  time 
to  use  the  Jewels  of  the  Flow  and  Ebb  of  the  Tide  and  prove 
whether  what  the  Sea  King  had  told  him  was  true  or  not. 


174 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


So  he  took  out  the  Jewel  of  the  Flood  Tide  from  the  bosom 
of  his  dress  and  raised  it  to  his  forehead.     Instantly  over  the 


He  took  out  the  Jewel  of  the  Flood  Tide. 


fields  and  over  the  farms  the  sea  came  rolling  in  wave  upon 
wave  till  it  reached  the  spot  where  his  brother  was  standing. 
The  Skilful  Fisher  stood  amazed  and  terrified  to  see  what  was 


The  Happy  Hunter  and  the  Skilful  Fisher.     175 

happening.  In  another  minute  he  was  struggling  in  the  water 
and  calling  on  his  brother  to  save  him  from  drowning. 

The  Happy  Hunter  had  a  kind  heart  and  could  not  bear  the 
sight  of  his  brother's  distress.  He  at  once  put  back  the  Jewel 
of  the  Flood  Tide  and  took  out  the  Jewel  of  the  Ebb  Tide. 
No  sooner  did  he  hold  it  up  as  high  as  his  forehead  than  the 
sea  ran  back  and  back,  and  ere  long  the  tossing  rolling  floods 
had  vanished,  and  the  farms  and  fields  and  dry  land  appeared 
as  before. 

The  Skilful  Fisher  was  very  frightened  at  the  peril  of  death 
in  which  he  had  stood,  and  was  greatly  impressed  by  the 
wonderful  things  he  had  seen  his  brother  do.  He  learned  now 
that  he  was  making  a  fatal  mistake  to  set  himself  against  his 
brother,  younger  than  he  though  he  was,  for  he  had  now 
become  so  powerful  that  the  sea  would  flow  in  and  the  tide  ebb 
at  his  word  of  command.  So  he  humbled  himself  before  the 
Happy  Hunter  and  asked  him  to  forgive  him  all  the  wrong  he 
had  done  him.  The  Skilful  Fisher  promised  to  restore  his 
brother  to  his  rights  and  also  swore  that  though  the  Happy 
Hunter  was  the  younger  brother  and  owed  him  allegiance  by 
right  of  birth,  that  he,  the  Skilful  Fisher,  would  exalt  him  as  his 
superior  and  bow  before  him  as  Lord  of  all  Japan. 

Then  the  Happy  Hunter  said  that  he  would  forgive  his 
brother  if  he  would  throw  into  the  receding  tide  all  his  evil 
ways.  The  Skilful  Fisher  promised  and  there  was  peace 
between  the  two  brothers.  From  this  time  he  kept  his  word 
and  became  a  good  man  and  a  kind  brother. 

The  Happy  Hunter  now  ruled  his  Kingdom  without  being 
disturbed  by  family  strife,  and  there  was  peace  in  Japan  for  a 


176  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

long,  longtime.  Above  all  the  treasures  in  his  house  he  prized 
the  wonderful  Jewels  of  the  Flow  and  Ebb  of  the  Tide  which 
had  been  given  him  by  Ryn  Jin,  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea. 

This  is  the  congratulatory  ending  of  the  Happy  Hunter  and 
the  Skilful  Fisher. 


(     177    ) 


THE    STORY    OF   THE    OLD    MAN    WHO    MADE 
WITHERED    TREES    TO    FLOWER. 

Long,  long  ago  there  lived  an  old  man  and  his  wife  who 
supported  themselves  by  cultivating  a  small  plot  of  land.  Their 
life  had  been  a  very  happy  and  peaceful  one  save  for  one  great 
sorrow,  and  this  was  that  they  had  no  child.  Their  only  pet 
was  a  dog  named  Shiro,  and  on  him  they  lavished  all  the 
affection  of  their  old  age.  Indeed,  they  loved  him  so  much 
that  whenever  they  had  anything  nice  to  eat  they  denied  them- 
selves to  give  it  to  Shiro.  Now  Shiro  means  "white,"  and  he 
was  so  called  because  of  his  colour.  He  was  a  real  Japanese 
dog,  and  very  like  a  small  wolf  in  appearance. 

The  happiest  hour  of  the  day  both  for  the  old  man  and  his 
dog  was  when  the  man  returned  from  his  work  in  the  field, 
and  having  finished  his  frugal  supper  of  rice  and  vegetables, 
would  take  what  he  had  saved  from  the  meal  out  to  the  little 
verandah  that  ran  round  the  cottage.  Sure  enough,  Shiro  was 
waiting  for  his  master  and  the  evening  tit-bit.  Then  the  old 
man  said  "  Chin,  chin!"  and  Shiro  sat  up  and  begged,  and  his 
master  gave  him  the  food.  Nextdoortothis  good  old  couplethere 
lived  another  old  man  and  his  wife  who  were  both  wicked  and 
cruel,  and  who  hated  their  good  neighbours  and  the  dog  Shiro 
with  all  their  might.  Whenever  Shiro  happened  to  look  into 
their  kitchen  they  at  once  kicked  him  or  threw  something 
at  him,  sometimes  even  wounding"  him. 

F.B.  N 


178 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


One  day  Shiro  was  heard  barking  for  a  long  time  in  the 
field  at  the  back  of  his  master's  house.  The  old  man,  thinking 
that  perhaps  some  birds  were  attacking  the  corn,  hurried  out 


•it- 


The  deeper  he  Dug  the  more  Gold  Coins  did  the  Old  Man  find. 

to  see  what  was  the  matter.  As  soon  as  Shiro  saw  his  master 
he  ran  to  meet  him,  wagging  his  tail,  and,  seizing  the  end  of 
his  kimono,  dragged  him  under  a  large  yenoki  tree.     Here  he 


The  Old  Man  who  made  Withered  Trees  to  Flower.    179 

began  to  dig  very  industriously  with  his  paws,  yelping  with  joy 
all  the  time.  The  old  man,  unable  to  understand  what  it  all 
meant,  stood  looking  on  in  bewilderment.  But  Shiro  went  on 
barking  and  digging  with  all  his  might. 

The  thought  that  something  might  be  hidden  beneath  the 
tree,  and  that  the  dog  had  scented  it,  at  last  struck  the  old  man. 
He  ran  back  to  the  house,  fetched  his  spade  and  began  to  dig 
the  ground  at  that  spot.  What  was  his  astonishment  when, 
after  digging  for  some  time,  he  came  upon  a  heap  of  old  and 
valuable  coins,  and  the  deeper  he  dug  the  more  gold  coins  did 
he  find.  So  intent  was  the  old  man  on  his  work  that  he  never 
saw  the  cross  face  of  his  neighbour  peering  at  him  through  the 
bamboo  hedge.  At  last  all  the  gold  coins  lay  shining  on  the 
ground.  Shiro  sat  by  erect  with  pride  and  looking  fondly  at 
his  master  as  if  to  say,  "  You  see,  though  only  a  dog,  I  can 
make  some  return  for  all  the  kindness  you  show  me." 

The  old  man  ran  in  to  call  his  wife,  and  together  they 
carried  home  the  treasure.  Thus  in  one  day  did  the  poor  old 
man  become  rich.  His  gratitude  to  the  faithful  dog  knew  no 
bounds,  and  he  loved  and  petted  him  more  than  ever,  if  that 
were  possible. 

The  cross  old  neighbour,  attracted  by  Shiro's  barking, 
had  been  an  unseen  and  envious  witness  of  the  finding  of  the 
treasure.  He  began  to  think  that  he,  too,  would  like  to  find 
a  fortune.  So  a  few  days  later  he  called  at  the  old  man's 
house  and  very  ceremoniously  asked  permission  to  borrow 
Shiro  for  a  short  time. 

Shiro's  master  thought  this  a  strange  request,  because  he 
knew  quite  well  that  not  only  did  his  neighbour  not  love  his 

N   2 


180  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

pet  dog,  but  that  he  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  striking  and 
tormenting  him  whenever  the  dog  crossed  his  path.  But  the 
good  old  man  was  too  kind-hearted  to  refuse  his  neighbour,  so 
he  consented  to  lend  the  dog  on  the  condition  that  he  should 
be  taken  great  care  of. 

The  wicked  old  man  returned  to  his  home  with  an  evil 
smile  on  his  face,  and  told  his  wife  how  he  had  succeeded  in 
his  crafty  intentions.  He  then  took  his  spade  and  hastened  to 
his  own  field,  forcing  the  unwilling  Shiro  to  follow  him.  As 
soon  as  he  reached  a  yenoki  tree,  he  said  to  the  dog, 
threateningly: 

"  If  there  were  gold  coins  under  your  master's  tree,  there 
must  also  be  gold  coins  under  my  tree.  You  must  find  them 
for  me!      Where  are  they?     Where?     Where?" 

And  catching  hold  of  Shiro's  neck  he  held  the  dog's  head 
to  the  ground,  so  that  Shiro  began  to  scratch  and  dig  in  order 
to  free  himself  from  the  horrid  old  man's  grasp. 

The  old  man  was  very  pleased  when  he  saw  the  dog  begin 
to  scratch  and  dig,  for  he  at  once  supposed  that  some  gold 
coins  lay  buried  under  his  tree  as  well  as  under  his  neighbour's, 
and  that  the  dog  had  scented  them  as  before;  so  pushing  Shiro 
away  he  began  to  dig  himself,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be 
found.  As  he  went  on  digging  a  foul  smell  was  noticeable, 
and  he  at  last  came  upon  a  refuse  heap. 

The  old  man's  disgust  can  be  imagined.  This  soon  gave 
place  to  anger.  He  had  seen  his  neighbour's  good  fortune,  and 
hoping  for  the  same  luck  himself,  he  had  borrowed  the  dog 
Shiro ;  and  now,  just  as  he  seemed  on  the  point  of  finding  what 
he  sought,    only  a  horrid  smelling  refuse  heap  had  rewarded 


The  Old  Man  who  made  Withered  Trees  to  Flower.    181 

him  for  a  morning's  digging.  Instead  of  blaming  his  own 
greed  for  his  disappointment,  he  blamed  the  poor  dog.  He 
seized  his  spade,  and  with  all  his  strength  struck  Shiro  and 
killed  him  on  the  spot.  He  then  threw  the  dog's  body  into 
the  hole  which  he  had  dug  in  the  hope  of  finding  a  treasure  of 
gold  coins,  and  covered  it  over  with  the  earth.  Then  he 
returned  to  his  house,  telling  no  one,  not  even  his  wife,  what 
he  had  done. 

After  waiting  several  days,  as  the  dog  Shiro  did  not  return, 
his  master  began  to  grow  anxious.  Day  after  day  went  by, 
and  the  good  old  man  waited  in  vain.  Then  he  went  to  his 
neighbour  and  asked  him  to  give  him  back  his  dog.  Without 
any  shame  or  hesitation,  the  wicked  neighbour  answered  that 
he  had  killed  Shiro  because  of  his  bad  behaviour.  At  this 
dreadful  news  Shiro's  master  wept  many  sad  and  bitter  tears. 
Great,  indeed,  was  his  woeful  surprise,  but  he  was  too  good 
and  gentle  to  reproach  his  bad  neighbour.  Learning  that 
Shiro  was  buried  under  the  yenoki  tree  in  the  field,  he  asked 
the  old  man  to  give  him  the  tree,  in  remembrance  of  his  poor 
dog  Shiro. 

Even  the  cross  old  neighbour  could  not  refuse  such  a 
simple  request,  so  he  consented  to  give  the  old  man  the  tree 
under  which  Shiro  lay  buried.  Shiro's  master  then  cut  the 
tree  down  and  carried  it  home.  Out  of  the  trunk  he  made  a 
mortar.  In  this  his  wife  put  some  rice,  and  he  began  to  pound 
it  with  the  intention  of  making  a  festival  to  the  memory  of  his 
dog  Shiro. 

A  strange  thing  happened  !  His  wife  put  the  rice  into  the 
mortar,  and  no  sooner  had  he  begun  to  pound  it  to  make  the 


1 82  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

cakes,  than  it  began  to  increase  in  quantity  gradually  till  it 
was  about  five  times  the  original  amount,  and  the  cakes  were 
turned  out  of  the  mortar  as  if  an  invisible  hand  were  at  work. 

When  the  old  man  and  his  wife  saw  this,  they  understood 
that  it  was  a  reward  to  them  from  Shiro  for  their  faithful  love 
to  him.  They  tasted  the  cakes  and  found  them  nicer  than  any 
other  food.  So  from  this  time  they  never  troubled  about  food, 
for  they  lived  upon  the  cakes  with  which  the  mortar  never 
ceased  to  supply  them. 

The  greedy  neighbour,  hearing  of  this  new  piece  of  good 
luck,  was  filled  with  envy  as  before,  and  called  on  the  old  man 
and  asked  leave  to  borrow  the  wonderful  mortar  for  a  short 
time,  pretending  that  he,  too,  sorrowed  for  the  death  of  Shiro, 
and  wished  to  make  cakes  for  a  festival  to  the  dog's  memory. 

The  old  man  did  not  in  the  least  wish  to  lend  it  to  his 
cruel  neighbour,  but  he  was  too  kind  to  refuse.  So  the 
envious  man  carried  home  the  mortar,  but  he  never  brought 
it  back. 

Several  days  passed,  and  Shiro's  master  waited  in  vain  for 
the  mortar,  so  he  went  to  call  on  the  borrower,  and  asked  him 
to  be  good  enough  to  return  the  mortar  if  he  had  finished  with 
it.  He  found  him  sitting  by  a  big  fire  made  of  pieces  of  wood. 
On  the  ground  lay  what  looked  very  much  like  pieces  of  a 
broken  mortar.  In  answer  to  the  old  man's  inquiry,  the 
wicked  neighbour  answered  haughtily : 

"  Have  you  come  to  ask  me  for  your  mortar  ?  I  broke  it  to 
pieces,  and  now  I  am  making  a  fire  of  the  wood,  for  when  I 
tried  to  pound  cakes  in  it  only  some  horrid  smelling  stuff 
came  out." 


The  Old  Man  who  made  Withered  Trees  to  Flower.     183 

The  good  old  man  said  : 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  that.     It  is  a  great  pity  you  did  not  ask 
me  for  the  cakes  if  you  wanted  them.     I  would  have  given  you  as 

■  v\)    V" 


1,  •  \i\ 


VU 


''^A^J? 


■•i»-rW 


™ 


m 


Tlie  Withered  Tree  at  once  Burst  into  Full   Bloom. 


many  as  ever  you  wanted.  Now  please  give  me  the  ashes 
of  the  mortar,  as  I  wish  to  keep  them  in  remembrance  of 
my  dog." 


184  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

The  neighbour  consented  at  once,  and  the  old  man  carried 
home  a  basket  full  of  ashes. 

Not  long  after  this  the  old  man  accidentally  scattered  some 
of  the  ashes  made  by  the  burning  of  the  mortar  on  the  trees 
of  his  garden.     A  wonderful  thing  happened  ! 

It  was  late  in  autumn  and  all  the  trees  had  shed  their 
leaves,  but  no  sooner  did  the  ashes  touch  their  branches  than 
the  cherry  trees,  the  plum  trees,  and  all  other  blossoming 
shrubs  burst  into  bloom,  so  that  the  old  man's  garden  was 
suddenly  transformed  into  a  beautiful  picture  of  spring.  The 
old  man's  delight  knew  no  bounds,  and  he  carefully  preserved 
the  remaining  ashes. 

The  story  of  the  old  man's  garden  spread  far  and  wide, 
and  people  from  far  and  near  came  to  see  the  wonderful  sight. 

One  day,  soon  after  this,  the  old  man  heard  some  one 
knocking  at  his  door,  and  going  to  the  porch  to  see  who  it  was 
he  was  surprised  to  see  a  Knight  standing  there.  This  Knight 
told  him  that  he  was  a  retainer  of  a  great  Daimio  (Earl);  that 
one  of  the  favourite  cherry  trees  in  this  nobleman's  garden  had 
withered,  and  that  though  everyone  in  his  service  had  tried  all 
manner  of  means  to  revive  it,  none  took  effect.  The  Knight 
was  sore  perplexed  when  he  saw  what  great  displeasure  the 
loss  of  his  favourite  cherry  tree  caused  the  Daimio.  At  this 
point,  fortunately,  they  had  heard  that  there  was  a  wonderful 
old  man  who  could  make  withered  trees  to  blossom,  and  that 
his  Lord  had  sent  him  to  ask  the  old  man  to  come  to  him. 

"  And,"  added  the  Knight,  "  I  shall  be  very  much  obliged  if 
you  will  come  at  once." 

The    good    old    man    was   greatly    surprised    at   what   he 


The  Old  Man  who  made  Withered  Trees  to  Flower.    185 

heard,  but  respectfully  followed  the  Knight  to  the  nobleman's 
Palace. 

The  Daimio,  who  had  been  impatiently  awaiting  the  old 
man's  coming,  as  soon  as  he  saw  him  asked  him  at  once : 

"  Are  you  the  old  man  who  can  make  withered  trees  flower 
even  out  of  season  ?  " 

The  old  man  made  an  obeisance,  and  replied  : 

"  I  am  that  old  man  !  " 

Then  the  Daimio  said  : 

"  You  must  make  that  dead  cherry  tree  in  my  garden 
blossom  again  by  means  of  your  famous  ashes.  I  shall 
look  on." 

Then  they  all  went  into  the  garden — the  Daimio  and  his 
retainers  and  the  ladies-in-waiting,  who  carried  the  Daimio's 
sword. 

The  old  man  now  tucked  up  his  kimono  and  made  ready  to 
climb  the  tree.  Saying  "  Excuse  me,"  he  took  the  pot  ot 
ashes  which  he  had  brought  with  him,  and  began  to  climb  the 
tree,  everyone  watching  his  movements  with  great  interest. 

At  last  he  climbed  to  the  spot  where  the  tree  divided  into 
two  great  branches,  and  taking  up  his  position  here,  the  old 
man  sat  down  and  scattered  the  ashes  right  and  left  all  over 
the  branches  and  twigs. 

Wonderful,  indeed,  was  the  result  !  The  withered  tree  at 
once  burst  into  full  bloom  !  The  Daimio  was  so  transported 
with  joy  that  he  looked  as  if  he  would  go  mad.  He  rose  to 
his  feet  and  spread  out  his  fan,  calling  the  old  man  down  from 
the  tree.  He  himself  gave  the  old  man  a  wine  cup  filled  with 
the  best  sake,   and   rewarded  him   with  much  silver  and  gold 


1 86 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


and  many  other  precious  things.  The  Daimio  ordered  that 
henceforth  the  old  man  should  call  himself  by  the  name  of 
Hana-Saka-Jijii,  or  "  The  Old  Man  who  makes  the  Trees  to 


The  Daimio  ordered  his  Retainers  to  put  the  Impostor  in  Prison. 

Blossom,"  and  that  henceforth  all  were  to  recognise  him  by 
this  name,  and  he  sent  him  home  with  great  honour. 

The  wicked  neighbour,  as  before,  heard  of  the  good  old 


The  Old  Man  who  made  Withered  Trees  to  Flower.    187 

man's  fortune,  and  of  all  that  had  so  auspiciously  befallen  him, 
and  he  could  not  suppress  all  the  envy  and  jealousy  that  filled 
his  heart.  He  called  to  mind  how  he  had  failed  in  his  attempt 
to  find  the  gold  coins,  and  then  in  making  the  magic  cakes  ; 
this  time  surely  he  must  succeed  if  he  imitated  the  old  man, 
who  made  withered  trees  to  flower  simply  by  sprinkling  ashes 
on  them.     This  would  be  the  simplest  task  of  all. 

So  he  set  to  work  and  gathered  together  all  the  ashes  which 
remained  in  the  fireplace  from  the  burning  of  the  wonderful 
mortar.  Then  he  set  out  in  the  hope  of  finding  some  great 
man  to  employ  him,  calling  out  loudly  as  he  went  along  : 

"  Here  comes  the  wonderful  man  who  can  make  withered 
trees  blossom  !  Here  comes  the  old  man  who  can  make  dead 
trees  blossom  !  " 

The  Daimio  in  his  Palace  heard  this  cry,  and  said  : 

"  That  must  be  the  Hana-Saka-Jijii  passing.  I  have 
nothing  to  do  to-day.  Let  him  try  his  art  again;  it  will  amuse 
me  to  look  on." 

So  the  retainers  went  out  and  brought  in  the  impostor 
before  their  Lord.  The  satisfaction  of  the  false  old  man  can 
now  be  imagined. 

But  the  Daimio  looking  at  him,  thought  it  strange  that  he  was 
not  at  all  like  the  old  man  he  had  seen  before,  so  he  asked  him  : 

"  Are  you  the  man  whom  I  named  Hana-Saka-Jijii  ?  " 

And  the  envious  neighbour  answered  with  a  lie : 

"  Yes,  my  Lord  !  " 

"  That  is  strange  !  "  said  the  Daimio.  "  I  thought  there 
was  only  one  Hana-Saka-Jijii  in  the  world  !  Has  he  now 
.some  disciples  ?  " 


188  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  I  am  the  true  Hana-Saka-Jijii.  The  one  who  came  to 
you  before  was  only  my  disciple  !  "  replied  the  old  man  again. 

"  Then  you  must  be  more  skilful  than  the  other.  Try  what 
you  can  do  and  let  me  see !  " 

The  envious  neighbour,  with  the  Daimio  and  his  Court 
following,  then  went  into  the  garden,  and  approaching  a  dead 
tree,  took  out  a  handful  of  the  ashes  which  he  carried  with 
him,  and  scattered  them  over  the  tree. 

But  not  only  did  the  tree  not  burst  into  flower,  but  not 
even  a  bud  came  forth.  Thinking  that  he  had  not  used 
enough  ashes,  the  old  man  took  handfuls  and  again  sprinkled 
them  over  the  withered  tree.  But  all  to  no  effect.  After 
trying  several  times,  the  ashes  were  blown  into  the  Daimio's 
eyes.  This  made  him  very  angry,  and  he  ordered  his  retainers 
to  arrest  the  false  Hana-Saka-Jijii  at  once  and  put  him  in 
prison  for  an  impostor.  From  this  imprisonment  the  wicked 
old  man  was  never  freed.  Thus  did  he  meet  with  punishment 
at  last  for  all  his  evil  doings. 

The  good  old  man,  however,  with  the  treasure  of  gold 
coins  which  Shiro  had  found  for  him,  and  with  all  the  gold 
and  the  silver  which  the  Daimio  had  showered  on  him, 
became  a  rich  and  prosperous  man  in  his  old  age,  and  lived  a 
long  and  happy  life,  beloved  and  respected  by  all. 


(     1 89     ) 


THE   JELLY    FISH    AND   THE    MONKEY. 

Long,  long  ago,  in  old  Japan,  the  Kingdom  of  the  Sea 
was  governed  by  a  wonderful  King.  He  was  called  Rin  Jin, 
or  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea.  His  power  was  immense,  for 
he  was  the  ruler  of  all  sea  creatures  both  great  and  small,  and 
in  his  keeping  were  the  Jewels  of  the  Ebb  and  Flow  of  the  Tide. 
The  Jewel  of  the  Ebbing  Tide  when  thrown  into  the  ocean 
caused  the  sea  to  recede  from  the  land,  and  the  Jewel  of  the 
Flowing  Tide  made  the  waves  to  rise  mountains  high  and  to 
flow  in  upon  the  shore  like  a  tidal  wave. 

The  Palace  of  Rin  Jin  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
and  was  so  beautiful  that  no  one  has  ever  seen  anything 
like  it  even  in  dreams.  The  walls  were  of  coral,  the  roof  of 
jadestone  and  chrysoprase,  and  the  floors  were  of  the  finest 
mother-of-pearl.  But  the  Dragon  King,  in  spite  of  his  wide- 
spreading  Kingdom,  his  beautiful  Palace  and  all  its  wonders, 
and  his  power,  which  none  disputed  throughout  the  whole  sea, 
was  not  at  all  happy,  for  he  reigned  alone.  At  last  he  thought 
that  if  he  married  he  would  not  only  be  happier,  but  also  more 
powerful.  So  he  decided  to  take  a  wife.  Calling  all  his  fish 
retainers  together,  he  chose  several  of  them  as  ambassadors  to 
go  through  the  sea  and  seek  for  a  young  Dragon  Princess  who 
would  be  his  bride. 

At  last  they  returned  to  the  Palace  bringing  with  them  a 
lovely  young  dragon.      Her  scales  were   of  a  glittering  green 


iqo  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

like  the  wings  of  summer  beetles,  her  eyes  threw  out  glances  of 
fire,  and  she  was  dressed  in  gorgeous  robes.  All  the  jewels  of 
the  sea  worked  in  with  embroidery  adorned  them. 

The  King  fell  in  love  with  her  at  once,  and  the  wedding 
ceremony  was  celebrated  with  great  splendour.  Every  living 
thing  in  the  sea,  from  the  great  whales  down  to  the  little 
shrimps,  came  in  shoals  to  offer  their  congratulations  to  the 
bride  and  bridegroom  and  to  wish  them  a  long  and  prosperous 
life.  Never  had  there  been  such  an  assemblage  or  such  gay 
festivities  in  the  Fish-World  before.  The  train  of  bearers  who 
carried  the  bride's  possessions  to  her  new  home  seemed  to 
reach  across  the  waves  from  one  end  of  the  sea  to  the  other. 
Each  fish  carried  a  phosphorescent  lantern  and  was  dressed  in 
ceremonial  robes,  gleaming  blue  and  pink  and  silver ;  and  the 
waves  as  they  rose  and  fell  and  broke  that  night  seemed  to  be 
rolling  masses  of  white  and  green  fire,  for  the  phosphorus  shone 
with  double  brilliancy  in  honour  of  the  event. 

Now  for  a  time  the  Dragon  King  and  his  bride  lived  very 
happily.  They  loved  each  other  dearly,  and  the  bridegroom 
day  after  day  took  delight  in  showing  his  bride  all  the 
wonders  and  treasures  of  his  coral  Palace,  and  she  was  never 
tired  of  wandering  with  him  through  its  vast  halls  and  gardens. 
Life  seemed  to  them  both  like  a  long  summer's  day. 

Two  months  passed  in  this  happy  way,  and  then  the 
Dragon  Queen  fell  ill  and  was  obliged  to  stay  in  bed.  The 
King  was  sorely  troubled  when  he  saw  his  precious  bride  so  ill, 
and  at  once  sent  for  the  fish  doctor  to  come  and  give  her  some 
medicine.  He  gave  special  orders  to  the  servants  to  nurse  her 
carefully  and  to  wait  upon  her  with  diligence,  but  in  spite  of 


The  Jelly   Fish  and  the  Monkey. 


191 


all  the  nurses'  assiduous  care  and  the  medicine  that  the  doctor 
prescribed,  the  young  Queen  showed  no  signs  of  recovery,  but 
grew  daily  worse. 

Then  the  Dragon  King  interviewed  the  doctor  and  blamed 


t£X^ 


The  Dragon  King  Blamed  the  Doctor  tor  not  Curing  the  Queen. 

him  for  not  curing  the  Queen.  The  doctor  was  alarmed  at 
Rin  Jin's  evident  displeasure,  and  excused  his  want  of  skill 
by  saying  that  although  he  knew  the  right  kind  of  medicine  to 
give  the  invalid,  it  was  impossible  to  find  it  in  the  sea. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  can't  get  the  medicine 
here  ?  "  asked  the  Dragon  Kinff. 


192  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  It  is  just  as  you  say !  "  said  the  doctor. 

"  Tell  me  what  it  is  you  want  for  the  Queen  ?  "  demanded 
Rin  Jin. 

"  I  want  the  liver  of  a  live  monkey  !  "  answered  the  doctor. 

"  The  liver  of  a  live  monkey  !  Of  course  that  will  be  most 
difficult  to  get,"  said  the  King. 

"  If  we  could  only  get  that  for  the  Queen,  Her  Majesty 
would  soon  recover,"  said  the  doctor. 

"Very  well,  that  decides  it;  we  must  get  it  somehow  or 
other.  But  where  are  we  most  likely  to  find  a  monkey?" 
asked  the  King. 

Then  the  doctor  told  the  Dragon  King  that  some  distance 
to  the  south  there  was  a  Monkey  Island  where  a  great  many 
monkeys  lived. 

"  If  only  you  could  capture  one  of  those  monkeys  ?  "  said 
the  doctor. 

"  How  can  any  of  my  people  capture  a  monkey  ?  "  said  the 
Dragon  King,  greatly  puzzled.  "  The  monkeys  live  on  dry 
land,  while  we  live  in  the  water;  and  out  of  our  element  we  are 
quite  powerless  !     I  don't  see  what  we  can  do  !  " 

"  That  has  been  my  difficulty  too,"  said  the  doctor. 
"  But  amongst  your  innumerable  servants,  you  surely  can 
find  one  who  can  go  on  shore  for  that  express  purpose  !  " 

"  Something  must  be  done,"  said  the  King,  and  calling  his 
chief  steward  he  consulted  him  on  the  matter. 

The  chief  steward  thought  for  some  time,  and  then,  as  if 
struck  by  a  sudden  thought,  said  joyfully  : 

"  I  know  what  we  must  do  !  There  is  the  kurage  (jelly 
fish).     He  is  certainly  ugly  to  look  at,  but  he  is  proud  of  being 


The  Jelly  Fish  and  the  Monkey.  193 

able  to  walk  on  land  with  his  four  legs  like  a  tortoise.  Let  us 
send  him  to  the  Island  of  Monkeys  to  catch  one." 

The  jelly  fish  was  then  summoned  to  the  King's  presence, 
and  was  told  by  His  Majesty  what  was  required  of  him. 

The  jelly  fish,  on  being  told  of  the  unexpected  mission 
which  was  to  be  entrusted  to  him,  looked  very  troubled,  and  said 
that  he  had  never  been  to  the  island  in  question,  and  as  he  had 
never  had  any  experience  in  catching  monkeys  he  was  afraid 
that  he  would  not  be  able  to  get  one. 

"Well,"  said  the  chief  steward,  "if  you  depend  on  your 
strength  or  dexterity  you  will  never  catch  a  monkey.  The  only 
way  is  to  play  a  trick  on  one  !  " 

"  How  can  I  play  a  trick  on  a  monkey?  I  don't  know  how 
to  do  it,"  said  the  perplexed  jelly  fish. 

"  This  is  what  you  must  do,"  said  the  wily  chief  steward. 
"  When  you  approach  the  Island  of  Monkeys  and  meet  some  of 
them,  you  must  try  to  get  very  friendly  with  one.  Tell  him 
that  you  are  a  servant  of  the  Dragon  King,  and  invite  him  to 
come  and  visit  you  and  see  the  Dragon  King's  Palace.  Try 
and  describe  to  him  as  vividly  as  you  can  the  grandeur  of  the 
Palace  and  the  wonders  of  the  sea  so  as  to  arouse  his  curiosity 
and  make  him  long  to  see  it  all  !  " 

"But  how  am  I  to  get  the  monkey  here?  You  know 
monkeys  don't  swim  !  "  said  the  reluctant  jelly  fish. 

"  You  must  carry  him  on  your  back.  What  is  the  use  of 
your  shell  if  you  can't  do  that  !  "  said  the  chief  steward. 

"  Won't  he  be  very  heavy  ?  "  queried  kurage  again. 

"You  mustn't  mind  that,  for  you  are  working  for  the  Dragon 
King  !  "  replied  the  chief  steward. 

F.B.  O 


194  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  I  will  do  my  best  then,"  said  the  jelly  fish,  and  he  swam 
away  from  the  Palace  and  started  off  towards  the  Monkey 
Island.  Swimming  swiftly  he  reached  his  destination  in  a  few 
hours,  and  was  landed  by  a  convenient  wave  upon  the  shore. 
On  looking  round  he  saw  not  far  away  a  big  pine-tree  with 
drooping  branches  and  on  one  of  those  branches  was  just  what 
he  was  looking  for — a  live  monkey. 

"  I'm  in  luck  !  "  thought  the  jelly  fish.  "  Now  I  must 
flatter  the  creature  and  try  to  entice  him  to  come  back  with 
me  to  the  Palace,  and  my  part  will  be  done  !  " 

So  the  jelly  fish  slowly  walked  towards  the  pine-tree.  In 
those  ancient  days  the  jelly  fish  had  four  legs  and  a  hard  shell 
like  a  tortoise.  When  he  got  to  the  pine-tree  he  raised  his 
voice  and  said  : 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Monkey  ?     Isn't  it  a  lovely  day  ?" 

"  A  very  fine  day,"  answered  the  monkey  from  the  tree. 
"  I  have  never  seen  you  in  this  part  of  the  world  before. 
Where  have  you  come  from  and  what  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  kurage  or  jelly  fish.  I  am  one  of  the 
servants  of  the  Dragon  King.  I  have  heard  so  much  of  your 
beautiful  island  that  I  have  come  on  purpose  to  see  it," 
answered  the  jelly  fish. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,"  said  the  monkey. 

"  By-the-bye,"  said  the  jelly  fish,  "  have  you  ever  seen  the 
Palace  of  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea  where  I  live  ?  " 

"I  have  often  heard  of  it,  but  I  have  never  seen  it!" 
answered  the  monkey. 

"  Then  you  ought  most  surely  to  come.  It  is  a  great  pity 
for  you  to  go  through  life  without  seeing  it.     The  beauty  of 


The  Jelly  Fish  and  the  Monkey.  195 

the  Palace  is  beyond  all  description — it  is  certainly  to  my  mind 
the  most  lovely  place  in  the  world,"  said  the  jelly  fish. 

"Is  it  so  beautiful  as  all  that?"  asked  the  monkey  in 
astonishment. 

Then  the  jelly  fish  saw  his  chance,  and  went  on  describing 
to  the  best  of  his  ability  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  Sea 
King's  Palace,  and  the  wonders  of  the  garden  with  its  curious 
trees  of  white,  pink  and  red  coral,  and  the  still  more  curious 
fruits  like  great  jewels  hanging  on  the  branches.  The  monkey 
grew  more  and  more  interested,  and  as  he  listened  he  came 
down  the  tree  step  by  step  so  as  not  to  lose  a  word  of  the 
wonderful  story. 

"  I  have  got  him  at  last !  "  thought  the  jelly  fish,  but  aloud 
he  said : 

"  Mr.  Monkey,  I  must  now  go  back.  As  you  have  never 
seen  the  Palace  of  the  Dragon  King,  won't  you  avail 
yourself  of  this  splendid  opportunity  by  coming  with  me  ?  I 
shall  then  be  able  to  act  as  guide  and  show  you  all  the 
sights  of  the  sea,  which  will  be  even  more  wonderful  to  you 
— a  land-lubber." 

"  I  should  love  to  go,"  said  the  monkey,  "  but  how  am  I  to 
cross  the  water?     I  can't  swim,  as  you  surely  know  !  " 

"  There  is  no  difficulty  about  that.  I  can  carry  you  on  my 
back." 

"  That  will  be  troubling  you  too  much,"  said  the  monkey. 

"  I  can  do  it  quite  easdy.  I  am  stronger  than  I  look,  so 
you  needn't  hesitate,"  said  the  jelly  fish,  and  taking  the 
monkey  on  his  back  he  stepped  into  the  sea. 

"  Keep  very  still,  Mr.  Monkey,"  said  the  jelly  fish.     "You 

o  2 


196 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


mustn't  fall  into  the  sea;  I  am  responsible  for  your  safe  arrival 
at  the  King's  Palace." 

"  Please  don't  go  so  fast,  or  I  am  sure  I  shall  fall  off,"  said 
the  monkey. 

Thus  they  went  along,  the  jelly  fish  skimming  through  the 


"Please  don't  go  so  fast,  or  I  am  sure  I   shall  fall  off,''  said  the  Monkey. 

waves  with  the  monkey  sitting  on  his  back.  When  they  were 
about  half-way,  the  jelly  fish,  who  knew  very  little  of  anatomy, 
began  to  wonder  if  the  monkey  had  his  liver  with  him  or  not ! 

"  Mr.   Monkey,  tell  me,  have  you  such  a  thing  as  a  liver 
with  you  ?  " 


The  Jelly  Fish  and  the  Monkey.  197 

The  monkey  was  very  much  surprised  at  this  queer 
question,  and  asked  what  the  jelly  fish  wanted  with  a  liver. 

"  That  is  the  most  important  thing  of  all,"  said  the  stupid 
jelly  fish,  "  so  as  soon  as  I  recollected  it,  I  asked  you  if  you 
had  yours  with  you  ?  " 

"  Why  is  my  liver  so  important  to  you  ? "  asked  the 
monkey. 

"  Oh  !  you  will  learn  the  reason  later,"  said  the  jelly  fish. 

The  monkey  grew  more  and  more  curious  and  suspicious, 
and  urged  the  jelly  fish  to  tell  him  for  what  his  liver  was 
wanted,  and  ended  up  by  appealing  to  his  hearer's  feelings  by 
saying  that  he  was  very  troubled  at  what  he  had  been  told. 

Then  the  jelly  fish,  seeing  how  anxious  the  monkey  looked, 
was  sorry  for  him,  and  told  him  everything.  How  the  Dragon 
Queen  had  fallen  ill,  and  how  the  doctor  had  said  that  only 
the  liver  of  a  live  monkey  would  cure  her,  and  how  the  Dragon 
King  had  sent  him  to  find  one. 

"  Now  I  have  done  as  I  was  told,  and  as  soon  as  we  arrive 
at  the  Palace  the  doctor  will  want  your  liver,  so  I  feel  sorry  for 
you  !  "  said  the  silly  jelly  fish. 

The  poor  monkey  was  horrified  when  he  learnt  all  this,  and 
very  angry  at  the  trick  played  upon  him.  He  trembled  with 
fear  at  the  thought  of  what  was  in  store  for  him. 

But  the  monkey  was  a  clever  animal,  and  he  thought  it  the 
wisest  plan  not  to  show  any  sign  of  the  fear  he  felt,  so  he  tried 
to  calm  himself  and  to  think  of  some  way  by  which  he  might 
escape. 

"  The  doctor  means  to  cut  me  open  and  then  take  my  liver 
out !    Why  I  shall  die  !  "  thought  the  monkey.    At  last  a  bright 


198  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

thought  struck  him,   so  he   said  quite  cheerfully  to  the  jelly 
fish: 

"  What  a  pity  it  was,  Mr.  Jelly  Fish,  that  you  did  not  speak 
of  this  before  we  left  the  island  !  " 

"  If  I  had  told  you  why  I  wanted  you  to  accompany  me  you 
would  certainly  have  refused  to  come,"  answered  the  jelly 
fish. 

"  You  are  quite  mistaken,"  said  the  monkey.  "  Monkeys 
can  very  well  spare  a  liver  or  two,  especially  when  it  is  wanted 
for  the  Dragon  Queen  of  the  Sea.  If  I  had  only  guessed  of 
what  you  were  in  need,  I  should  have  presented  you  with  one 
without  waiting  to  be  asked.  I  have  several  livers.  But  the 
greatest  pity  is,  that  as  you  did  not  speak  in  time,  I  have  left 
all  my  livers  hanging  on  the  pine-tree." 

"  Have  you  left  your  liver  behind  you?"  asked  the  jelly 
fish. 

"Yes,"  said  the  cunning  monkey,  "during  the  daytime  I 
usually  leave  my  liver  hanging  up  on  the  branch  of  a  tree,  as 
it  is  very  much  in  the  way  when  I  am  climbing  about  from 
tree  to  tree.  To-day,  listening  to  your  interesting  conversation, 
I  quite  forgot  it,  and  left  it  behind  when  I  came  off  with  you. 
If  only  you  had  spoken  in  time  I  should  have  remembered  it, 
and  should  have  brought  it  along  with  me  !  " 

The  jelly  fish  was  very  disappointed  when  he  heard  this, 
for  he  believed  every  word  the  monkey  said.  The  monkey  was 
of  no  good  without  a  liver.  Finally  the  jelly  fish  stopped  and 
told  the  monkey  so. 

"Well,"  said  the  monkey,  "that  is  soon  remedied.  I  am 
really  sorry  to  think  of  all  your  trouble  ;  but  if  you  will  only 


The  Jelly  Fish  and  the  Monkey.  199 

take  me  back  to  the  place  where  you  found  me,  I  shall  soon 
be  able  to  get  my  liver." 

The  jelly  fish  did  not  at  all  like  the  idea  of  going  all  the 
way  back  to  the  island  again  ;  but  the  monkey  assured  him 
that  if  he  would  be  so  kind  as  to  take  him  back  he  would  get 
his  very  best  liver,  and  bring  it  with  him  the  next  time.  Thus 
persuaded,  the  jelly  fish  turned  his  course  towards  the 
Monkey  Island  once  more. 

No  sooner  had  the  jelly  fish  reached  the  shore  than  the 
sly  monkey  landed,  and  getting  up  into  the  pine-tree  where  the 
jelly  fish  had  first  seen  him,  he  cut  several  capers  amongst 
the  branches  with  joy  at  being  safe  home  again,  and  then 
looking  down  at  the  jelly  fish  said  : 

"  So  many  thanks  for  all  the  trouble  you  have  taken  ! 
Please  present  my  compliments  to  the  Dragon  King  on  your 
return  !  " 

The  jelly  fish  wondered  at  this  speech  and  the  mocking 
tone  in  which  it  was  uttered.  Then  he  asked  the  monkey  if  it 
wasn't  his  intention  to  come  with  him  at  once  after  getting  his 
liver. 

The  monkey  replied  laughingly  that  he  couldn't  afford  to 
lose  his  liver  ;   it  was  too  precious. 

"  But  remember  your  promise  !  "  pleaded  the  jelly  fish,  now 
very  discouraged. 

"  That  promise  was  false,  and  anyhow  it  is  now  broken  !  " 
answered  the  monkey.  Then  he  began  to  jeer  at  the  jelly 
fish  and  told  him  that  he  had  been  deceiving  him  the  whole 
time  ;  that  he  had  no  wish  to  lose  his  life,  which  he  certainly 
would  have  done  had  he  gone  on  to  the  Sea  King's  Palace  to 


200  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

the  old  doctor  waiting  for  him,  instead  of  persuading  the  jelly 
fish  to  return  under  false  pretences. 

"  Of  course,  I  won't  give  you  my  liver,  but  come  and  get  it 
if  you  can  !  "  added  the  monkey  mockingly  from  the  tree. 

There  was  nothing  for  the  jelly  fish  to  do  now  but  to 
repent  of  his  stupidity,  and  return  to  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea 
and  confess  his  failure,  so  he  started  sadly  and  slowly  to  swim 
back.  The  last  thing  he  heard  as  he  glided  away,  leaving  the 
island  behind  him,  was  the  monkey  laughing  at  him. 

Meanwhile  the  Dragon  King,  the  doctor,  the  chief  steward, 
and  all  the  servants  were  waiting  impatiently  for  the  return  of 
the  jelly  fish.  When  they  caught  sight  of  him  approaching 
the  Palace,  they  hailed  him  with  delight.  They  began  to 
thank  him  profusely  for  all  the  trouble  he  had  taken  in  going 
to  Monkey  Island,  and  then  they  asked  him  where  the  monkey 
was. 

Now  the  day  of  reckoning  had  come  for  the  jelly  fish. 
He  quaked  all  over  as  he  told  his  story.  How  he  had  brought 
the  monkey  half-way  over  the  sea,  and  then  had  stupidly  let 
out  the  secret  of  his  commission  ;  how  the  monkey  had  deceived 
him  by  making  him  believe  that  he  had  left  his  liver  behind 
him. 

The  Dragon  King's  wrath  was  great,  and  he  at  once  gave 
orders  that  the  jelly  fish  was  to  be  severely  punished.  The 
punishment  was  a  horrible  one.  All  the  bones  were  to  be  drawn 
out  from  his  living  body,  and  he  was  to  be  beaten  with  sticks. 

The  poor  jelly  fish,  humiliated  and  horrified  beyond  all 
words,  cried  out  for  pardon.  But  the  Dragon  King's  order  had 
to   be    obeyed.      The  servants   of  the  Palace    forthwith    each 


The  Jelly  Fish  and  the  Monkey. 


201 


brought  out  a  stick  and  surrounded  the  jelly  fish,  and  after 
pulling  out  his  bones  they  beat  him  to  a  flat  pulp,  and  then 
took  him   out  beyond  the   Palace  gates  and  threw  him   into 


They  beat  the  Jelly  Fish  to  a  flat  Pulp. 

the  water.     Here   he  was  left  to  suffer  and  repent  his  foolish 
chattering,    and    to    grow    accustomed   to    his    new    state    of 

bonelessness. 


The  Monkey  proposed  the  exchange  of  the  hard  persimmon  seed  for  the 
Crab's  nice  dumpling. 

To  face  p.  203. 


203 


THE  QUARREL  OF  THE  MONKEY  AND  THE 

CRAB. 

Long,  long  ago,  one  bright  autumn  day  in  Japan,  it 
happened  that  a  pink-faced  monkey  and  a  yellow  crab  were 
playing  together  along  the  bank  of  a  river.  As  they  were 
running  about,  the  crab  found  a  rice-dumpling  and  the  monkey 
a  persimmon-seed. 

The  crab  picked  up  the  rice-dumpling  and  showed  it  to  the 
monkey,  saying  : 

"  Look  what  a  nice  thine:  I  have  found  !  " 
Then  the  monkey  held  up  his  persimmon-seed  and  said  : 
"  I  also  have  found  something  good  !    Look  !  " 
Now  though  the  monkey  is  always  very  fond  of  persimmon 
fruit,  he  had  no  use  for  the  seed  he  had  just  found.     The  per- 
simmon-seed is  as  hard  and  uneatable  as  a  stone.     He,  therefore, 
in  his  greedy  nature,  felt  very  envious  of  the  crab's  nice  dump- 
ling, and  he  proposed  an  exchange.     The  crab  naturally  did 
not  see  why  he  should  give  up  his  prize  for  a  hard  stone-like 
seed,  and  would  not  consent  to  the  monkey's  proposition. 

Then  the  cunning  monkey  began  to  persuade  the  crab, 
saying :       f>T        | 

"  How  unwise  you  are  not  to  think  of  the  future  !  Your 
rice-dumpling  can  be  eaten  now,  and  is  certainly  much  bigger 
than  my  seed ;  but  if  you  sow  this  seed  in  the  ground  it  will 


204  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

soon  grow  and  become  a  great  tree  in  a  few  years,  and  bear  an 
abundance  of  fine  ripe  persimmons  year  after  year.  If  only  I 
could  show  it  to  you  then  with  the  yellow  fruit  hanging  on  its 
branches  I  Of  course,  if  you  don't  believe  me  I  shall  sow  it 
myself;  though  I  am  sure,  later  on,  you  will  be  very  sorry  that 
you  did  not  take  my  advice." 

The  simple-minded  crab  could  not  resist  the  monkey's 
clever  persuasion.  He  at  last  gave  in  and  consented  to  the 
monkey's  proposal,  and  the  exchange  was  made.  The  greedy 
monkey  soon  gobbled  up  the  dumpling,  and  with  great  reluc- 
tance gave  up  the  persimmon-seed  to  the  crab.  He  would 
have  liked  to  keep  that  too,  but  he  was  afraid  of  making  the 
crab  angry  and  of  being  pinched  by  his  sharp  scissor-like  claws. 
They  then  separated,  the  monkey  going  home  to  his  forest 
trees  and  the  crab  to  his  stones  along  the  river-side.  As  soon 
as  the  crab  reached  home  he  put  the  persimmon-seed  in  the 
ground  as  the  monkey  had  told  him. 

In  the  following  spring  the  crab  was  delighted  to  see  the  shoot 
of  a  young  tree  push  its  way  up  through  the  ground.  Each  year 
it  grew  bigger,  till  at  last  it  blossomed  one  spring,  and  in  the 
following  autumn  bore  some  fine  large  persimmons.  Among  the 
broad  smooth  green  leaves  the  fruit  hung  like  golden  balls,  and 
as  they  ripened  they  mellowed  to  a  deep  orange.  It  was  the 
little  crab's  pleasure  to  go  out  day  by  day  and  sit  in  the  sun 
and  put  out  his  long  eyes  in  the  same  way  as  a  snail  puts  out 
its  horn,  and  watch  the  persimmons  ripening  to  perfection. 

"  How  delicious  they  will  be  to  eat !  "  he  said  to  himself. 

At  last,  one  day,  he  knew  the  persimmons  must  be  quite 
ripe  and  he  wanted  very  much  to  taste  one.     He  made  several 


The  Quarrel  of  the  Monkey  and  the  Crab.     205 

attempts  to  climb  the  tree,  in  the  vain  hope  of  reaching  one 
of  the  beautiful  persimmons  hanging  above  him  ;  but  he  failed 
each  time,  for  a  crab's  legs  are  not  made  for  climbing  trees 
but  only  for  running  along  the  ground  and  over  stones,  both 
of  which  he  can  do  most  cleverly.  In  his  dilemma  he  thought 
of  his  old  playmate  the  monkey,  who,  he  knew,  could  climb 
trees  better  than  anyone  else  in  the  world.  He  determined 
to  ask  the  monkey  to  help  him,  and  set  out  to  find  him. 

Running  crab-fashion  up  the  stony  river  bank,  over  the 
pathways  into  the  shadowy  forest,  the  crab  at  last  found  the 
monkey  taking  an  afternoon  nap  in  his  favourite  pine-tree,  with 
his  tail  curled  tight  around  a  branch  to  prevent  him  from  falling 
off  in  his  dreams.  He  was  soon  wide  awake,  however,  when  he 
heard  himself  called,  and  eagerly  listening  to  what  the  crab 
told  him.  When  he  heard  that  the  seed  which  he  had  long  ago 
exchanged  for  a  rice-dumpling  had  grown  into  a  tree  and  was 
now  bearing  good  fruit,  he  was  delighted,  for  he  at  once  devised 
a  cunning  plan  which  would  give  him  all  the  persimmons  for 
himself. 

He  consented  to  go  with  the  crab  to  pick  the  fruit  for  him. 
When  they  both  reached  the  spot,  the  monkey  was  astonished 
to  see  what  a  fine  tree  had  sprung  from  the  seed,  and  with  what 
a  number  of  ripe  persimmons  the  branches  were  loaded. 

He  quickly  climbed  the  tree  and  began  to  pluck  and  eat,  as 
fast  as  he  could,  one  persimmon  after  another.  Each  time  he 
chose  the  best  and  ripest  he  could  find,  and  went  on  eating  till 
he  could  eat  no  more.  Not  one  would  he  give  to  the  poor 
hungry  crab  waiting  below,  and  when  he  had  finished  there 
was  little  but  the  hard,  unripe  fruit  left. 


206 


Japanese    Fairy  Book. 


The  Monkey  began  to  pluck  and  eat  as  fast  as  he  could. 


The  Quarrel  of  the  Monkey  and  the  Crab.     207 

You  can  imagine  the  feelings  of  the  poor  crab  after  waiting 
patiently,  for  so  long  as  he  had  done,  for  the  tree  to  grow  and 
the  fruit  to  ripen,  when  he  saw  the  monkey  devouring  all  the 
good  persimmons.  He  was  so  disappointed  that  he  ran  round 
and  round  the  tree  calling  to  the  monkey  to  remember  his  promise. 
The  monkey  at  first  took  no  notice  of  the  crab's  complaints, 
but  at  last  he  picked  out  the  hardest,  greenest  persimmon  he 
could  find  and  aimed  it  at  the  crab's  head.  The  persimmon 
is  as  hard  as  stone  when  it  is  unripe.  The  monkey's  missile 
struck  home  and  the  crab  was  sorely  hurt  by  the  blow.  Again 
and  again,  as  fast  as  he  could  pick  them,  the  monkey  pulled  oft 
the  hard  persimmons  and  threw  them  at  the  defenceless  crab 
till  he  dropped  dead,  covered  with  wounds  all  over  his  body. 
There  he  lay  a  pitiful  sight  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  he  had 
himself  planted. 

When  the  wicked  monkey  saw  that  he  had  killed  the  crab 
he  ran  away  from  the  spot  as  fast  as  he  could,  in  fear  and 
trembling,  like  a  coward  as  he  was. 

Now  the  crab  had  a  son  who  had  been  playing  with  a 
friend  not  far  from  the  spot  where  this  sad  work  had  taken 
place.  On  the  way  home  he  came  across  his  father  dead,  in  a 
most  dreadful  condition — his  head  was  smashed  and  his  shell 
broken  in  several  places,  and  around  his  body  lay  the  unripe 
persimmons  which  had  done  their  deadly  work.  At  this 
dreadful  sight  the  poor  young  crab  sat  down  and  wept. 

But  when  he  had  wept  for  some  time  he  told  himself  that 
this  crying  would  do  no  good ;  it  was  his  duty  to  avenge  his 
father's  murder,  and  this  he  determined  to  do.  He  looked 
about  for  some  clue  which  would   lead   him    to   discover  the 


208  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

murderer.  Looking  up  at  the  tree  he  noticed  that  the  best 
fruit  had  gone,  and  that  all  around  lay  bits  of  peel  and 
numerous  seeds  strewn  on  the  ground  as  well  as  the  unripe 
persimmons  which  had  evidently  been  thrown  at  his  father. 
Then  he  understood  that  the  monkey  was  the  murderer,  for  he 
now  remembered  that  his  father  had  once  told  him  the  story  of 
the  rice-dumpling  and  the  persimmon-seed.  The  j'oung  crab 
knew  that  monkeys  liked  persimmons  above  all  other  fruit, 
and  he  felt  sure  that  his  greed  for  the  coveted  fruit  had  been 
the  cause  of  the  old  crab's  death.     Alas  ! 

He  at  first  thought  of  going  to  attack  the  monkey  at  once, 
for  he  burned  with  rage.  Second  thoughts,  however,  told  him 
that  this  was  useless,  for  the  monkey  was  an  old  and  cunning 
animal  and  would  be  hard  to  overcome.  He  must  meet  cunning 
with  cunning  and  ask  some  of  his  friends  to  help  him,  for  he 
knew  that  it  would  be  quite  out  of  his  power  to  kill  him  alone. 

The  young  crab  set  out  at  once  to  call  on  the  mortar,  his 
father's  old  friend,  and  told  him  of  all  that  had  happened.  He 
besought  the  mortar  with  tears  to  help  him  avenge  his  father's 
death.  The  mortar  was  very  sorry  when  he  heard  the  woeful 
tale  and  promised  at  once  to  help  the  young  crab  punish  the 
monkey  to  death.  He  warned  him  that  he  must  be  very 
careful  in  what  he  did,  for  the  monkey  was  a  strong  and 
cunning  enemy.  The  mortar  now  sent  to  fetch  the  bee  and  the 
chestnut  (also  the  crab's  old  friends)  to  consult  them  about 
the  matter.  In  a  short  time  the  bee  and  the  chestnut  arrived. 
When  they  were  told  all  the  details  of  the  old  crab's  death 
and  of  the  monkey's  wickedness  and  greed,  they  both  gladly 
consented  to  help  the  young  crab  in  his  revenge. 


The  Quarrel  of  the  Monkey  and  the  Crab.     209 

After  talking  for  a  long  time  as  to  the  ways  and  means  of 
carrying  out  their  plans  they  separated,  and  Mr.  Mortar  went 
home  with  the  young  crab  to  help  him  bury  his  poor  father. 

While  all  this  was  taking  place  the  monkey  was  con- 
gratulating himself  (as  the  wicked  often  do  before  their 
punishment  comes  upon  them)  on  all  he  had  done  so  neatly. 
He  thought  it  quite  a  fine  thing  that  he  had  robbed  his  friend 
of  all  his  ripe  persimmons  and  then  that  he  had  killed  him. 
Still,  smile  as  hard  as  he  might,  he  could  not  banish  altogether 
the  fear  of  the  consequences  should  his  evil  deeds  be  discovered. 
If  he  were  found  out  (and  he  told  himself  that  this  could  not 
be  for  he  had  escaped  unseen)  the  crab's  family  would  be  sure 
to  bear. him  hatred  and  seek  to  take  revenge  on  him.  So  he 
would  not  go  out,  and  kept  himself  at  home  for  several  days. 
He  found  this  kind  of  life,  however,  extremely  dull,  accus- 
tomed as  he  was  to  the  free  life  of  the  woods,  and  at  last 
he    said  : 

"  No  one  knows  that  it  was  I  who  killed  the  crab  !  I  am 
sure  that  the  old  thing  breathed  his  last  before  I  left  him. 
Dead  crabs  have  no  mouths  !  Who  is  there  to  tell  that  I  am 
the  murderer  ?  Since  no  one  knows,  what  is  the  use  of  shutting 
myself  up  and  brooding  over  the  matter  ?  What  is  done  cannot 
be  undone  !  " 

With  this  he  wandered  out  into  the  crab  settlement  and 
crept  about  as  slyly  as  possible  near  the  crab's  house  and  tried 
to  hear  the  neighbours'  gossip  round  about.  He  wanted  to  find 
out  what  the  crabs  were  saying  about  their  chief's  death,  for 
the  old  crab  had  been  the  chief  of  the  tribe.  But  he  heard 
nothing  and  said  to  himself: 

f.b.  p 


210  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  They  are  all  such  fools  that  they  don't  know  and  don't 
care  who  murdered  their  chief!  " 

Little  did  he  know  in  his  so-called  "monkey's  wisdom" 
that  this  seeming  unconcern  was  part  of  the  young  crab's  plan. 
He  purposely  pretended  not  to  know  who  killed  his  father,  and 
also  to  believe  that  he  had  met  his  death  through  his  own  fault. 
By  this  means  he  could  the  better  keep  secret  the  revenge  on 
the  monkey,  which  he  was  meditating. 

So  the  monkey  returned  home  from  his  walk  quite  content. 
He  told  himself  he  had  nothing  now  to  fear. 

One  fine  day,  when  the  monkey  was  sitting  at  home,  he  was 
surprised  by  the  appearance  of  a  messenger  from  the  young 
crab.  While  he  was  wondering  what  this  might  mean,  the 
messenger  bowed  before  him  and  said  : 

"  I  have  been  sent  by  my  master  to  inform  you  that  his 
father  died  the  other  day  in  falling  from  a  persimmon  tree 
while  trying  to  climb  the  tree  after  fruit.  This,  being  the 
seventh  day,  is  the  first  anniversary  after  his  death,  and  my 
master  has  prepared  a  little  festival  in  his  father's  honour, 
and  bids  you  come  to  participate  in  it  as  you  were  one  of  his 
best  friends.  My  master  hopes  you  will  honour  his  house  with 
your  kind  visit." 

When  the  monkey  heard  these  words  he  rejoiced  in  his 
inmost  heart,  for  all  his  fears  of  being  suspected  were  now  at 
rest.  He  could  not  guess  that  a  plot  had  just  been  set  in 
motion  against  him.  He  pretended  to  be  very  surprised  at 
the  news  of  the  crab's  death,  and  said  : 

"  I  am,  indeed,  very  sorry  to  hear  of  your  chiefs  death. 
We  were  great  friends  as  you  know.     I  remember  that  we  once 


The  Quarrel  of  the  Monkey  and  the  Crab.     211 

exchanged  a  rice-dumpling  for  a  persimmon-seed.  It  grieves  me 
much  to  think  that  that  seed  was  in  the  end  the  cause  of  his 
death.  I  accept  your  kind  invitation  with  many  thanks.  I 
shall  be  delighted  to  do  honour  to  my  poor  old  friend!"  And 
he  screwed  some  false  tears  from  his  eyes. 

The    messenger    laughed    inwardly    and    thought,    "The 
wicked  monkey  is  now  dropping  false  tears,  but  within  a  short 
time  he  shall   shed  real   ones."      But  aloud   he  thanked  the. 
monkey  politely  and  went  home. 

When  he  had  gone,  the  wicked  monkey  laughed  aloud  at  what 
he  thought  was  the  young  crab's  innocence,  and  without  the  least 
feeling  began  to  look  forward  to  the  feast  to  be  held  that  day  in 
honour  of  the  dead  crab,  to  which  he  had  been  invited.  He 
changed  his  dress  and  set  out  solemnly  to  visit  the  young  crab. 

He  found  all  the  members  of  the  crab's  family  and  his  rela- 
tives waiting  to  receive  and  welcome  him.  As  soon  as  the  bows 
of  meeting  were  over  they  led  him  to  a  hall.  Here  the  young 
chief  mourner  came  to  receive  him.  Expressions  of  condo- 
lence and  thanks  were  exchanged  between  them,  and  then  they 
all  sat  down  to  a  luxurious  feast  and  entertained  the  monkey 
as  the  guest  of  honour. 

The  feast  over,  he  was  next  invited  to  the  tea-ceremony 
room  to  drink  a  cup  of  tea.  When  the  young  crab  had 
conducted  the  monkey  to  the  tea-room  he  left  him  and  retired. 
Time  passed  and  still  he  did  not  return.  At  last  the  monkey 
became  impatient.      He  said  to  himself: 

"  This  tea  ceremony  is  always  a  very  slow  affair.  I  am  tired 
of  waiting  so  long.  I  am  very  thirsty  after  drinking  so  much 
sake  at  the  dinner  !  " 

P  2 


212 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


He  then  approached  the  charcoal  fireplace  and  began  to 
pour  out  some  hot  water  from  the  kettle  boiling  there,  when 


"  It  was  your  Father's  fault,  not  Mine,"  gasped  the  unrepentant  Monkey. 

something  burst  out  from  the  ashes  with  a  great  pop  and  hit 
the  monkey  right  in  the  neck.  It  was  the  chestnut,  one  of 
the  crab's  friends,  who  had  hidden  himself  in  the  fireplace.     The 


The  Quarrel  of  the  Monkey  and  the  Crab.      213 

monkey,  taken  by  surprise,  jumped  backward,  and  then  started 
to  run  out  of  the  room. 

The  bee,  who  was  hiding  outside  the  screens,  now  flew  out 
and  stung  him  on  the  cheek.  The  monkey  was  in  great  pain, 
his  neck  was  burnt  by  the  chestnut  and  his  face  badly  stung 
by  the  bee,  but  he  ran  on  screaming  and  chattering  with  rage. 

Now  the  stone  mortar  had  hidden  himself  with  several 
other  stones  on  the  top  of  the  crab's  gate,  and  as  the  monkey 
ran  underneath,  the  mortar  and  all  fell  down  on  the  top  of  the 
monkey's  head.  Was  it  possible  for  the  monkey  to  bear  the 
weight  of  the  mortar  falling  on  him  from  the  top  of  the  gate  ? 
He  lay  crushed  and  in  great  pain,  quite  unable  to  get  up.  As  he 
lay  there  helpless  the  young  crab  came  up,  and,  holding  his 
great  claw  scissors  over  the  monkey,  he  said : 

"  Do  you  now  remember  that  you  murdered  my  father  ?  " 

"Then  you — are — my — enemy?"  gasped  the  monkey 
brokenly. 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  young  crab. 

"  It — was — your — father's  fault — not — mine  !  "  gasped  the 
unrepentant  monkey. 

"  Can  you  still  lie  ?  I  will  soon  put  an  end  to  your  breath!" 
and  with  that  he  cut  off  the  monkey's  head  with  his  pincher 
claws.  Thus  the  wicked  monkey  met  his  well-merited  punish- 
ment, and  the  young  crab  avenged  his  father's  death. 

This  is  the  end  of  the  story  of  the  monkey,  the  crab,  and 
the  persimmon-seed, 


(       214       ) 


THE    WHITE    HARE    AND    THE    CROCODILES. 

Long,  long  ago,  when  all  the  animals  could  talk,  there 
lived  in  the  province  of  Inaba  in  Japan,  a  little  white  hare. 
His  home  was  on  the  island  of  Oki,  and  just  across  the  sea 
was  the  mainland  of  Inaba. 

Now  the  hare  wanted  very  much  to  cross  over  to  Inaba. 
Day  after  clay  he  would  go  out  and  sit  on  the  shore  and  look 
longingly  over  the  water  in  the  direction  of  Inaba,  and  day 
after  day  he  hoped  to  find  some  way  of  getting  across. 

One  day  as  usual,  the  hare  was  standing  on  the  beach, 
looking  towards  the  mainland  across  the  water,  when  he  saw 
a  great  crocodile  swimming  near  the  island. 

"  This  is  very  lucky  !  "  thought  the  hare.  "  Now  I  shall 
be  able  to  get  my  wish.  I  will  ask  the  crocodile  to  carry  me 
across  the  sea  !  " 

But  he  was  doubtful  whether  the  crocodile  would  consent 
to  do  what  he  asked,  so  he  thought  instead  of  asking  a  favour 
he  would  try  to  get  what  he  wanted  by  a  trick. 

So  with  a  loud  voice  he  called  to  the  crocodile,  and  said  : 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Crocodile,  isn't  it  a  lovely  day  ? " 

The  crocodile,  who  had  come  out  all  by  itself  that  day  to 
enjoy  the  bright  sunshine,  was  just  beginning  to  feel  a  bit  lonely 
when  the  hare's  cheerful  greeting  broke  the  silence.  The  croco- 
dile swam  nearer  the  shore,  very  pleased  to  hear  someone  speak. 


The  White  Hare  and  the  Crocodiles.  215 

"I  wonder  who  it  was  that  spoke  to  me  just  now!  Was 
it  you,  Mr.  Hare  ?     You  must  be  very  lonely  all  by  yourself!" 

"  Oh,  no,  I  am  not  at  all  lonely,"  said  the  hare,  "but  as  it 
was  such  a  fine  day  I  came  out  here  to  enjoy  myself.  Won't 
you  stop  and  play  with  me  a  little  while  ?  " 

The  crocodile  came  out  of  the  sea  and  sat  on  the  shore, 
and  the  two  played  together  for  some  time.  Then  the  hare 
said  : 

"  Mr.  Crocodile,  you  live  in  the  sea  and  I  live  on  this 
island,  and  we  do  not  often  meet,  so  I  know  very  little  about 
you.  Tell  me,  do  you  think  the  number  of  your  company  is 
greater  than  mine  ?  " 

"Of  course,  there  are  more  crocodiles  than  hares," 
answered  the  crocodile.  "  Can  you  not  see  that  for  yourself? 
You  live  on  this  small  island,  while  I  live  in  the  sea,  which 
spreads  through  all  parts  of  the  world,  so  if  I  call  together  all 
the  crocodiles  who  dwell  in  the  sea  you  hares  will  be  as  nothing 
compared  to  us  !  "     The  crocodile  was  very  conceited. 

The  hare,  who  meant  to  play  a  trick  on  the  crocodile, 
said  : 

"  Do  you  think  it  possible  for  vou  to  call  up  enough  croco- 
diles to  form  a  line  from  this  island  across  the  sea  to  Inaba  ?  " 

The  crocodile  thought  for  a  moment,  and  then  answered  : 

"  Of  course,  it  is  possible." 

"  Then  do  try,"  said  the  artful  hare,  "and  I  will  count  the 
number  from  here  !  " 

The  crocodile,  who  was  very  simple-minded,  and  who 
hadn't  the  least  idea  that  the  hare  intended  to  play  a  trick  on 
him,  agreed  to  do  what  the  hare  asked,  and  said  : 


216  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  Wait  a  little  while  I  go  back  into  the  sea  and  call  my 
company  together!  " 

The  crocodile  plunged  into  the  sea  and  was  gone  for  some 
time.  The  hare,  meanwhile,  waited  patiently  on  the  shore. 
At  last  the  crocodile  appeared,  bringing  with  him  a  large 
number  of  other  crocodiles. 

"  Look,  Mr.  Hare  !  "  said  the  crocodile,  "  it  is  nothing  for 
my  friends  to  form  a  line  between  here  and  Inaba.  There  are 
enough  crocodiles  to  stretch  from  here  even  as  far  as  China  or 
India.     Did  you  ever  see  so  many  crocodiles  ?  " 

Then  the  whole  company  of  crocodiles  arranged  themselves 
in  the  water  so  as  to  form  a  bridge  between  the  island  of  Oki 
and  the  mainland  of  Inaba.  When  the  hare  saw  the  bridge  ol 
crocodiles,  he  said  : 

"  How  splendid  !  I  did  not  believe  this  was  possible.  Now 
let  me  count  you  all !  To  do  this,  however,  with  your  per- 
mission, I  must  walk  over  on  your  backs  to  the  other  side,  so 
please  be  so  good  as  not  to  move,  or  else  I  shall  fall  into  the 
sea  and  be  drowned  !  " 

So  the  hare  hopped  off  the  island  on  to  the  strange  bridge 
of  crocodiles,  counting  as  he  jumped  from  one  crocodile's  back 
to  the  other: 

"  Please  keep  quite  still,  or  I  shall  not  be  able  to  count. 
One,  two,  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven,  eight,  nine " 

Thus  the  cunning  hare  walked  right  across  to  the  main- 
land of  Inaba.  Not  content  with  getting  his  wish,  he  began 
to  jeer  at  the  crocodiles  instead  of  thanking  them,  and  said,  as 
he  leapt  off  the  last  one's  back  : 

"  Oh  !  you  stupid  crocodiles,  now  I  have  done  with  you  !  " 


The  White  Hare  and  the  Crocodiles. 


217 


And  he  was  just  about  to  run  away  as  fast  as  he  could. 
But  he  did  not  escape  so  easily,  for  as  soon  as  the 
crocodiles  understood  that  this  was  a  trick  played  upon  them 
by  the  har^  so  as  to  enable  him  to  cross  the  sea,  and  that 
the  hare  was  now  laughing  at  them  for  their  stupidity, 
they   became   furiously   angry    and    made    up    their    minds  to 


Some  of  the  Crocodiles  ran  after  the  Hare  and  caucrht  him. 


take  revenge.  So  some  of  them  ran  after  the  hare  and  caught 
him.  Then  they  all  surrounded  the  poor  little  animal  and 
pulled  out  all  his  fur.  He  cried  out  loudly  and  entreated 
them  to  spare  him,  but  with  each  tuft  of  fur  they  pulled  out, 
they  said  : 

"  Serve  you  right  !  " 

When  the  crocodiles  had  pulled  out  the  last  bit  of  fur,  they 


218  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

threw  the  poor  hare  on  the  beach,  and  all  swam  away  laughing 
at  what  they  had  done. 

The  hare  was  now  in  a  pitiful  plight,  all  his  beautiful 
white  fur  had  been  pulled  out,  and  his  bare  little  body  was 
quivering  with  pain  and  bleeding  all  over.  He  could  hardly 
move,  and  all  he  could  do  was  to  lie  on  the  beach  quite 
helpless  and  weep  over  the  misfortune  that  had  befallen  him. 
Notwithstanding  that  it  was  his  own  fault  that  had  brought  all 
this  misery  and  suffering  upon  the  white  hare  of  Inaba, 
anyone  seeing  the  poor  little  creature  could  not  help  feeling 
sorry  for  him  in  his  sad  condition,  for  the  crocodiles  had  been 
very  cruel  in  their  revenge. 

Just  at  this  time  a  number  of  men,  who  looked  like  King's 
sons,  happened  to  pass  by,  and  seeing  the  hare  lying  on  the 
beach  crying,  stopped  and  asked  what  was  the  matter. 

The  hare  lifted  up  his  head  from  between  his  paws,  and 
answered  them,  saying  : 

"  I  had  a  fight  with  some  crocodiles,  but  I  was  beaten,  and 
they  pulled  out  all  my  fur  and  left  me  to  suffer  here — that  is 
why  I  am  crying." 

Now  one  of  these  young  men  had  a  bad  and  spiteful 
disposition.  But  he  feigned  kindness,  and  said  to  the 
hare 

"  I  feel  very  sorry  for  you.  If  you  will  only  try  it,  I  know 
of  a  remedy  which  will  cure  your  sore  body.  Go  and  bathe 
yourself  in  the  sea,  and  then  come  and  sit  in  the  wind.  This 
will  make  your  fur  grow  again,  and  you  will  be  just  as  you 
were  before." 

Then  all  the  young  men  passed  on.     The  hare  was  very 


The  White  Hare  and  the  Crocodiles. 


219 


pleased,  thinking  that  he  had  found  a  cure.  He  went  and 
bathed  in  the  sea  and  then  came  out  and  sat  where  the  wind 
could  blow  upon  him. 


This  iUan  had  a  kind   Heart  and  looked  at  the  Hare  very  pityingly. 

But  as  the  wind  blew  and  dried  him,  his  skin  became  drawn 
and  hardened,  and  the  salt  increased  the  pain  so  much  that  he 
rolled  on  the  sand  in  his  agony  and  cried  aloud. 


220  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Just  then  another  King's  son  passed  by,  carrying  a  great 
bag  on  his  back.  He  saw  the  hare,  and  stopped  and  asked 
why  he  was  crying  so  loudly. 

But  the  poor  hare,  remembering  that  he  had  been  deceived 
by  one  very  like  the  man  who  now  spoke  to  him,  did  not 
answer,  but  continued  to  cry. 

But  this  man  had  a  kind  heart,  and  looked  at  the  hare  very 
pityingly,  and  said  : 

"  You  poor  thing  !  I  see  that  your  fur  is  all  pulled  out 
and  that  your  skin  is  quite  bare.  Who  can  have  treated  you 
so  cruelly  ?  " 

When  the  hare  heard  these  kind  words  he  felt  very  grateful 
to  the  man,  and  encouraged  by  his  gentle  manner  the  hare  told 
him  all  that  had  befallen  him.  The  little  animal  hid  nothing 
from  his  friend,  but  told  him  frankly  how  he  had  played  a  trick 
on  the  crocodiles  and  how  he  had  come  across  the  bridge  they 
had  made,  thinking  that  he  wished  to  count  their  number  ;  how 
he  had  jeered  at  them  for  their  stupidity,  and  then  how  the 
crocodiles  had  revenged  themselves  on  him.  Then  he  went 
on  to  say  how  he  had  been  deceived  by  a  party  of  men  who 
looked  very  like  his  kind  friend  ;  and  the  hare  ended  his  long 
tale  of  woe  by  begging  the  man  to  give  him  some  medicine 
that  would  cure  him  and  make  his  fur  grow  again. 

When  the  hare  had  finished  his  story,  the  man  was  full  of 
pity  towards  him,  and  said  : 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  all  you  have  suffered,  but  remember, 
it  was  only  the  consequence  of  the  deceit  you  practised  on  the 
crocodiles." 

'  "  I   know,"    answered   the    sorrowful    hare,    "  but    I    have 


The  White  Hare  and  the  Crocodiles.  221 

repented  and  made  up  my  mind  never  to  use  deceit  again,  so  I 
beg  you  to  show  me  how  I  may  cure  my  sore  body  and  make 
the  fur  grow  again." 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you  of  a  good  remedy,"  said  the  man. 
"  First  go  and  bathe  well  in  that  pond  over  there  and  try  to 
wash  all  the  salt  from  your  body.  Then  pick  some  of  those 
kaba  flowers  that  are  growing  near  the  edge  of  the  water, 
spread  them  on  the  ground  and  roll  yourself  on  them.  If  you 
do  this  the  pollen  will  cause  your  fur  to  grow  again,  and  you 
will  be  quite  well  in  a  little  while." 

The  hare  was  very  glad  to  be  told  what  to  do,  so  kindly. 
He  crawled  to  the  pond  pointed  out  to  him,  bathed  well  in  it, 
and  then  picked  the  kaba  flowers  growing  near  the  water,  and 
rolled  himself  on  them. 

To  his  amazement,  even  while  he  was  doing  this,  he  saw  his 
nice  white  fur  growing  again,  the  pain  ceased,  and  he  felt  just 
as  he  had  done  before  all  his  misfortunes. 

The  hare  was  overjoyed  at  his  quick  recovery,  and  went 
hopping  joyfullv  towards  the  young  man  who  had  so  helped 
him,  and  kneeling  down  at  his  feet,  said  : 

"  I  cannot  express  my  thanks  for  all  you  have  done  for  me ! 
It  is  my  earnest  wish  to  do  something  for  you  in  return. 
Please  tell  me  who  you  are  ?  " 

"  I  am  no  King's  son  as  you  think  me.  I  am  a  fairy,  and 
my  name  is  Okuni-nushi-no-Mikoto,"  answered  the  man,  "and 
those  beings  who  passed  here  before  me  are  my  brothers. 
They  have  heard  of  a  beautiful  Princess  called  Yakami  who 
lives  in  this  province  of  Inaba,  and  they  are  on  their  way  to 
find  her  and  to  ask  her  to  marry  one  of  them.     But  on  this 


222 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


expedition   I   am  only  an  attendant,  so   I  am  walking  behind 
them  with  this  great  big  bag  on  my  back." 


.•  -r.^V&  ' 


When  the  Princess  had  looked  at  the  kind  Brother's  face  she  went  straight 

up  to  him. 

The  hare  humbled  himself  before  this  great  fairy  Okuni- 
nushi-no-Mikoto,  whom  many  in  that  part  of  the  land 
worshipped  as  a  god. 


The  White  Hare  and  the  Crocodiles.  223 

"  Oh,  I  did  not  know  that  you  were  Okuni-nushi-no-Mikoto. 
How  kind  you  have  been  to  me  !  It  is  impossible  to  believe 
that  that  unkind  fellow  who  sent  me  to  bathe  in  the  sea  is  one 
of  your  brothers.  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  Princess,  whom 
your  brothers  have  gone  to  seek,  will  refuse  to  be  the  bride  of 
any  of  them,  and  will  prefer  you  for  your  goodness  of  heart.  I 
am  quite  sure  that  you  will  win  her  heart  without  intending  to 
do  so,  and  she  will  ask  to  be  your  bride." 

Okuni-nushi-no-Mikoto  took  no  notice  of  what  the  hare 
said,  but  bidding  the  little  animal  good-bye,  went  on  his  way 
quickly  and  soon  overtook  his  brothers.  He  found  them  just 
entering  the  Princess's  gate. 

Just  as  the  hare  had  said,  the  Princess  could  not  be  per- 
suaded to  become  the  bride  of  any  of  the  brothers,  but  when 
she  looked  at  the  kind  brother's  face  she  went  straight  up  to 
him  and  said  : 

"  To  you  I  give  myself,"  and  so  they  were  married. 

This  is  the  end  of  the  story.  Okuni-nushi-no-Mikoto  is 
worshipped  by  the  people  in  some  parts  of  Japan,  as  a  god,  and 
the  hare  has  become  famous  as  "  The  White  Hare  of  Inaba." 
But  what  became  of  the  crocodiles  nobody  knows. 


(       224       ) 


THE   STORY   OF   PRINCE   YAMATO   TAKE. 

The  insignia  of  the  great  Japanese  Empire  is  composed  of 
three  treasures  which  have  been  considered  sacred,  and  guarded 
with  jealous  care  from  time  immemorial.  These  are  the  Yatano- 
no-Kagami  or  the  Mirror  of  Yata,  the  Yasakami-no-Magatama  or 
the  Jewel  of  Yasakami,  and  the  Murakumo-no-Tsumgi  or  the 
Sword  of  Murakumo. 

Of  these  three  treasures  of  the  Empire,  the  sword  of 
Murakumo,  afterwards  known  as  Kusanagi-no-Tsiirugi,  or  the 
grass-cleaving  sword,  is  considered  the  most  precious  and  most 
highly  to  be  honoured,  for  it  is  the  symbol  of  strength  to  this 
nation  of  warriors  and  the  talisman  of  invincibility  for  the 
Emperor,  while  he  holds  it  sacred  in  the  shrine  of  his  ancestors. 

Nearly  two  thousand  years  ago  this  sword  was  kept  at  the 
shrines  of  Ite,  the  temples  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  Amate- 
rasu,  the  great  and  beautiful  Sun  Goddess  from  whom  the 
Japanese  Emperors  are  said  to  be  descended. 

There  is  a  story  of  knightly  adventure  and  daring  which 
explains  why  the  name  of  the  sword  was  changed  from  that  of 
Murakumo  to  Kusanagi,  which  means  grass  cleaving. 

Once,  many,  many  years  ago,  there  was  born  a  son  to  the 
Emperor  Keiko,  the  twelfth  in  descent  from  the  great  Jimmu, 
the  founder  of  the  Japanese  dynasty.  This  Prince  was  the 
second  son  of  the  Emperor  Keiko,  and  he  was  named  Yamato. 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  225 

From  his  childhood  he  proved  himself  to  be  of  remarkable 
strength,  wisdom  and  courage,  and  his  father  noticed  with 
pride  that  he  gave  promise  of  great  things,  and  he  loved  him 
even  more  than  he  did  his  elder  son. 

Now  when  Prince  Yamato  had  grown  to  manhood  (in  the 
olden  days  of  Japanese  history,  a  boy  was  considered  to  have 
reached  man's  estate  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen)  the  realm 
was  much  troubled  by  a  band  of  outlaws  whose  chiefs  were  two 
brothers,  Kumaso  and  Takeru.  These  rebels  seemed  to  delight 
in  rebelling  against  the  King,  in  breaking  the  laws  and  defying 
all  authority. 

At  last  King  Reiko  ordered  his  younger  son  Prince  Yamato 
to  subdue  the  brigands  and,  if  possible,  to  rid  the  land  of  their 
evil  lives.  Prince  Yamato  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  he 
had  but  reached  his  manhood  according  to  the  law,  yet  though 
he  was  such  a  youth  in  years  he  possessed  the  dauntless  spirit 
of  a  warrior  of  fuller  age  and  knew  not  what  fear  was.  Even 
then  there  was  no  man  who  could  rival  him  for  courage  and 
bold  deeds,  and  he  received  his  father's  command  with  great  joy. 

He  at  once  made  ready  to  start,  and  great  was  the  stir  in 
the  precincts  of  the  Palace  as  he  and  his  trusty  followers 
gathered  together  and  prepared  for  the  expedition,  and  polished 
up  their  armour  and  donned  it.  Before  he  left  his  father's 
Court  he  went  to  pray  at  the  shrines  of  Ise  and  to  take  leave  of 
his  aunt  the  Princess  Yamato,  for  his  heart  was  somewhat 
heavy  at  the  thought  of  the  dangers  he  had  to  face,  and  he 
felt  that  he  needed  the  protection  of  his  ancestress,  Amaterasu, 
the  Sun  Goddess.  The  Princess  his  aunt  came  out  to  give 
him    glad  welcome,  and    congratulated  him  on  being  trusted 

F.B.  Q 


226  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

with  so  great  a  mission  by  his  father  the  King.  She  then 
gave  him  one  of  her  gorgeous  robes  as  a  keepsake  to  go  with 
him  and  to  bring  him  good  luck,  saying  that  it  would  surely 
be  of  service  to  him  on  this  adventure.  She  then  wished  him 
all  success  in  his  undertaking  and  bade  him  good  speed. 

The  young  Prince  bowed  low  before  his  aunt,  and  received 
her  gracious  gift  with  much  pleasure  and  many  respectful  bows. 

"  I  will  now  set  out,"  said  the  Prince,  and  returning  to  the 
Palace  he  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  troops.  Thus  cheered 
by  his  aunt's  blessing,  he  felt  ready  for  all  that  might  befall, 
and  marching  through  the  land  he  went  down  to  the  Southern 
Island  of  Kiushiu,  the  home  of  the  brigands. 

Before  many  days  had  passed  he  reached  the  Southern 
Island,  and  then  slowly  but  surely  made  his  way  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  chiefs  Kumaso  and  Takeru,  He  now  met  with 
great  difficulties,  for  he  found  the  country  exceedingly  wild  and 
rough.  The  mountains  were  high  and  steep,  the  valleys  dark 
and  deep,  and  huge  trees  and  boulders  of  rock  blocked  up  the 
road  and  stopped  the  progress  of  his  army.  It  was  all  but 
impossible  to  go  on. 

Though  the  Prince  was  but  a  youth  he  had  the  wisdom  of 
years,  and,  seeing  that  it  was  vain  to  try  and  lead  his  men 
further,  he  said  to  himself: 

"  To  attempt  to  fight  a  battle  in  this  impassable  country 
unknown  to  my  men  only  makes  my  task  harder.  We  cannot 
clear  the  roads  and  fight  as  well.  It  is  wiser  for  me  to  resort 
to  stratagem  and  come  upon  my  enemies  unawares.  In  that 
way  I  may  be  able  to  kill  them  without  much  exertion." 

So  he    now   bade    his    army  halt    by  the  way.     His  wife, 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  227 

the  Princess  Ototachibana,  had  accompanied  him,  and  he  bade 
her  bring  him  the  robe  his  aunt  the  priestess  of  Ise  had  given 
him,  and  to  help  him  attire  himself  as  a  woman.  With  her 
help  he  put  on  the  robe,  and  let  his  hair  down  till  it  flowed  over 
his  shoulders.  Ototachibana  then  brought  him  her  comb,  which 
he  put  in  his  black  tresses,  and  then  adorned  himself  with 
strings  of  strange  jewels  just  as  you  see  in  the  picture.  When 
he  had  finished  his  unusual  toilet,  Ototachibana  brought  him 
her  mirror.  He  smiled  as  he  gazed  at  himself — the  disguise 
was  so  perfect. 

He  hardly  knew  himself,  so  changed  was  he.  All  traces  oi 
the  warrior  had  disappeared,  and  in  the  shining  surface  only 
a  beautiful  lady  looked  back  at  him. 

Thus  completely  disguised,  he  set  out  for  the  enemy's  camp 
alone.  In  the  folds  of  his  silk  gown,  next  his  strong  heart,  was 
hidden  a  sharp  dagger. 

The  two  chiefs  Kumaso  and  Takeru  were  sitting  in  their 
tent,  resting  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  when  the  Prince 
approached.  They  were  talking  of  the  news  which  had 
recently  been  carried  to  them,  that  the  King's  son  had  entered 
their  country  with  a  large  army  determined  to  exterminate 
their  band.  They  had  both  heard  of  the  young  warrior's 
renown,  and  for  the  first  time  in  their  wicked  lives  they  felt 
afraid.  In  a  pause  in  their  talk  they  happened  to  look  up,  and 
saw  through  the  door  of  the  tent  a  beautiful  woman  robed  in 
sumptuous  garments  coming  towards  them.  Like  an  appari- 
tion of  loveliness  she  appeared  in  the  soft  twilight.  Little  did 
they  dream  that  it  was  their  enemy  whose  coming  they  so 
dreaded  who  now  stood  before  them  in  this  disguise. 

Q  2 


228  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  What  a  beautiful  woman  !  Where  has  she  come  from  ?  " 
said  the  astonished  Kumaso,  forgetting  war  and  council  and 
everything  as  he  looked  at  the  gentle  intruder. 

He  beckoned  to  the  disguised  Prince  and  bade  him  sit  down 
and  serve  them  with  wine.  Yamato  Take  felt  his  heart  swell 
with  a  fierce  glee  for  he  now  knew  that  his  plan  would  succeed. 
However,  he  dissembled  cleverly,  and  putting  on  a  sweet  air  of 
shyness  he  approached  the  rebel  chief  with  slow  steps  and  eyes 
glancing  like  a  frightened  deer.  Charmed  to  distraction  by  the 
girl's  loveliness,  Kumaso  drank  cup  after  cup  of  wine  for  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  her  pour  it  out  for  him,  till  at  last  he  was 
quite  overcome  with  the  quantity  he  had  drunk. 

This  was  the  moment  for  which  the  brave  Prince  had  been 
waiting.  Flinging  down  the  wine  jar,  he  seized  the  tipsy  and 
astonished  Kumaso  and  quickly  stabbed  him  to  death  with  the 
dagger  which  he  had  secretly  carried  hidden  in  his  breast. 

Takeru,  the  brigand's  brother,  was  terror-struck  as  soon  as 
he  saw  what  was  happening  and  tried  to  escape,  but  Prince 
Yamato  was  too  quick  for  him.  Ere  he  could  reach  the  tent 
door  the  Prince  was  at  his  heel,  his  garments  were  clutched  by 
a  hand  of  iron,  and  a  dagger  flashed  before  his  eyes  and  he  lay 
stabbed  to  the  earth,  dying  but  not  yet  dead. 

"Wait  one  moment!"  gasped  the  brigand  painfully,  and 
he  seized  the  Prince's  hand. 

Yamato  relaxed  his  hold  somewhat  and  said  : 

"  Why  should  I  pause,  thou  villain  ?  " 

The  brigand  raised  himself  fearfully  and  said : 

"Tell  me  from  whence  you  come,  and  whom  I  have  the 
honour  of  addressing  ?     Hitherto    I    believed    that    my   dead 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  229 

brother  and  I  were  the  strongest  men  in  the  land,  and  that 
there  was  no  one  who  could  overcome  us.  Alone  you  have 
ventured  into  our  stronghold,  alone  you  have  attacked  and 
killed  us !     Surely  you  are  more  than  mortal  ?  " 

Then  the  young  Prince  answered  with  a  proud  smile  : 
"  I  am  the  son  of  the  King  and  my  name  is  Yamato,  and  I 
have  been  sent  by  my  father  as  the  avenger  of  evil  to  bring 
death  to  all  rebels  !  No  longer  shall  robbery  and  murder 
hold  my  people  in  terror  !  "  and  he  held  the  dagger  dripping 
red  above  the  rebel's  head. 

"  Ah,"  gasped  the  dying  man  with  a  great  effort,  "  I 
have  often  heard  of  you.  You  are  indeed  a  strong  man 
to  have  so  easily  overcome  us.  Allow  me  to  give  you  a 
new  name.  From  henceforth  you  shall  be  known  as  Yamato 
Take.  Our  title  I  bequeath  to  you  as  the  bravest  man  in 
Yamato." 

And  with  these  noble  words,  Takeru  fell  back  and  died. 

The  Prince  having  thus  successfully  put  an  end  to  his  father's 
enemies  in  the  West,  now  prepared  to  return  to  the  capital. 
On  the  way  back  he  passed  through  the  province  of  Idzumo. 
Here  he  met  with  another  outlaw  named  Idzumo  Takeru 
who  he  knew  had  done  much  harm  in  the  land.  He  again 
resorted  to  stratagem,  and  feigned  friendship  with  the  rebel 
under  an  assumed  name.  Having  done  this  he  made  a  sword 
of  wood  and  jammed  it  tightly  in  the  sheath  of  his  own  steel 
sword.  This  he  purposely  buckled  to  his  side  and  wore  on 
every  occasion  when  he  expected  to  meet  the  third  robber 
Takeru. 

He  now  invited  Takeru  to  the  bank  of  the  River  Hinokawa, 


230 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


A  Dagger  flashed  before  his  Eyes. 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  231 

and  persuaded  him  to  try  a  swim  with  him  in  the  cool  refreshing 
waters  of  the  river. 

As  it  was  a  hot  summer's  day,  the  rebel  was  nothing 
loth  to  take  a  plunge  in  the  river.  While  his  enemy  was 
still  swimming  down  the  stream  the  Prince  turned  back 
and  landed  with  all  possible  haste.  Unperceived,  he  managed 
to  change  swords,  putting  his  wooden  one  in  place  of  the  keen 
steel  sword  of  Takeru. 

Knowing  nothing  of  this,  the  brigand  came  up  to  the  bank 
shortly.  As  soon  as  he  had  landed  and  donned  his  clothes,  the 
Prince  came  forward  and  asked  him  to  cross  swords  with  him 
to  prove  his  skill,  saying : 

"  Let  us  two  prove  which  is  the  better  swordsman  of 
the  two  !  " 

The  robber  agreed  with  delight,  feeling  certain  of  victory, 
for  he  was  famous  as  a  fencer  in  his  province  and  he  did  not 
know  who  his  adversary  was.  He  seized  quickly  what  he 
thought  was  his  sword  and  stood  on  guard  to  defend  himself. 
Alas  !  for  the  rebel,  the  sword  was  the  wooden  one  of  the 
young  Prince,  and  in  vain  Takeru  tried  to  unsheathe  it — it  was 
jammed  fast,  not  all  his  exerted  strength  could  move  it. 
Even  if  his  efforts  had  been  successful  the  sword  would  have 
been  of  no  use  to  him  for  it  was  of  wood.  Yamato  Take  saw 
that  his  enemy  was  in  his  power,  and  swinging  high  the  sword 
he  had  taken  from  Takeru  he  brought  it  down  with  great  might 
and  dexterity  and  cut  off  the  robber's  head. 

In  this  way,  sometimes  by  using  his  wisdom  and  sometimes 
by  using  his  bodily  strength,  and  at  other  times  by  resorting  to 
craftiness,  which  was  as  much  esteemed  in   those  days  as  it 


232  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

is  despised  in  these,  he  prevailed  against  all  the  King's  foes 
one  by  one,  and  brought  peace  and  rest  to  the  land  and  the 
people. 

When  he  returned  to  the  capital  the  King  praised  him  for 
his  brave  deeds,  and  held  a  feast  in  the  Palace  in  honour  of 
his  safe  coming  home  and  presented  him  with  many  rare  gifts. 
From  this  time  forth  the  King  loved  him  more  than  ever  and 
would  not  let  Yamato  Take  go  from  his  side,  for  he  said  that 
his  son  was  now  as  precious  to  him  as  one  of  his  arms. 

But  the  Prince  was  not  allowed  to  live  an  idle  life  long. 
When  he  was  about  thirty  years  old,  news  was  brought  that 
the  Ainu  race,  the  aborigines  of  the  islands  of  Japan,  who  had 
been  conquered  and  pushed  northwards  by  the  Japanese,  had 
rebelled  in  the  Eastern  provinces,  and  leaving  the  vicinity  which 
had  been  allotted  to  them  were  causing  great  trouble  in  the 
land.  The  King  decided  that  it  was  necessary  to  send  an  army 
to  do  battle  with  them  and  bring  them  to  reason.  But  who 
was  to  lead  the  men  ? 

Prince  Yamato  Take  at  once  offered  to  go  and  bring  the 
newly-arisen  rebels  into  subjection.  Now  as  the  King  loved 
the  Prince  dearly,  and  could  not  bear  to  have  him  go  out  of  his 
sight  even  for  the  length  of  one  day,  he  was  of  course  very 
loth  to  send  him  on  his  dangerous  expedition.  But  in  the 
whole  army  there  was  no  warrior  so  strong  or  so  brave  as  the 
Prince  his  son,  so  that  His  Majesty,  unable  to  do  otherwise, 
reluctantly  complied  with  Yamato's  wish. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  Prince  to  start,  the  King  gave 
him  a  spear  called  the  Eight-Arms-Length-Spear  of  the  Holly 
Tree  (the  handle  was  probably  made  from  the  wood  of  the  holly 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  233 

tree),  and  ordered  him  to  set  out  to  subjugate  the  Eastern 
Barbarians  as  the  Ainu  were  then  called. 

The  Eight-Arms-Length-Spear  of  the  Holly  Tree  of  those 
old  days,  was  prized  by  warriors  just  as  much  as  the  Standard 
or  Banner  is  valued  by  a  regiment  in  these  modern  days, 
when  given  by  the  King  to  his  soldiers  on  the  occasion  of  setting 
out  for  war. 

The  Prince  respectfully  and  with  great  reverence  received 
the  King's  spear,  and  leaving  the  capital,  marched  with  his 
army  to  the  East.  On  his  way  he  visited  first  of  all  the  temples 
of  Ise  for  worship,  and  his  aunt  the  Princess  of  Yamato  and 
High  Priestess  came  out  to  greet  him.  She  it  was  who  had 
given  him  her  robe  which  had  proved  such  a  boon  to  him  before 
in  helping  him  to  overcome  and  slay  the  brigands  of  the  West. 

He  told  her  all  that  had  happened  to  him,  and  of  the  great 
part  her  keepsake  had  played  in  the  success  of  his  previous 
undertaking,  and  thanked  her  very  heartily.  When  she  heard 
that  he  was  starting  out  once  again  to  do  battle  with  his  father's 
enemies,  she  went  into  the  temple,  and  reappeared  bearing  a 
sword  and  a  beautiful  bag  which  she  had  made  herself,  and 
which  was  full  of  flints,  which  in  those  times  people  used 
instead  of  matches  for  making  fire.  These  she  presented  to 
him  as  a  parting  gift. 

The  sword  was  the  sword  of  Murakumo,  one  of  the  three 
sacred  treasures  which  comprise  the  insignia  of  the  Imperial 
House  of  Japan.  No  more  auspicious  talisman  of  luck  and 
success  could  she  have  given  her  nephew,  and  she  bade  him  use 
it  in  the  hour  of  his  greatest  need. 

Yamato  Take  now  bade  farewell  to  his  aunt,  and  once  more 


234  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

placing  himself  at  the  head  of  his  men  he  marched  to  the 
farthest  East  through  the  province  of  Owari,  and  then  he 
reached  the  province  of  Suruga.  Here  the  governor  welcomed 
the  Prince  right  heartily,  and  entertained  him  royally  with 
many  feasts.  When  these  were  over,  the  governor  told  his 
guest  that  his  country  was  famous  for  its  fine  deer,  and 
proposed  a  deer  hunt  for  the  Prince's  amusement.  The  Prince 
was  utterly  deceived  by  the  cordiality  of  his  host,  which  was  all 
feigned,  and  gladly  consented  to  join  in  the  hunt. 

The  governor  then  led  the  Prince  to  a  wild  and  extensive 
plain  where  the  grass  grew  high  and  in  great  abundance. 
Quite  ignorant  that  the  governor  had  laid  a  trap  for  him  with 
the  desire  to  compass  his  death,  the  Prince  began  to  ride  hard 
and  hunt  down  the  deer,  when  all  of  a  sudden  to  his  amaze- 
ment he  saw  flames  and  smoke  bursting  out  from  the  bush  in 
front  of  him.  Realising  his  danger  he  tried  to  retreat,  but  no 
sooner  did  he  turn  his  horse  in  the  opposite  direction  than  he 
saw  that  even  there  the  prairie  was  on  fire.  At  the  same 
time  the  grass  on  his  left  and  right  burst  into  flames,  and 
these  began  to  spread  swiftly  towards  him  on  all  sides.  He 
looked  round  for  a  chance  of  escape.  There  was  none.  He 
was  surrounded  by  fire. 

"  This  deer  hunt  was  then  only  a  cunning  trick  of  the 
enemy  !  "  said  the  Prince,  looking  round  on  the  flames  and  the 
smoke  that  crackled  and  rolled  in  towards  him  on  every  side. 
"  What  a  fool  I  was  to  be  lured  into  this  trap  like  a  wild 
beast  !  "  and  he  ground  his  teeth  with  rage  as  he  thought  of 
the  governor's  smiling  treachery. 

Dangerous  as  was  his  situation  now,  the  Prince  was  not  in 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  235 

the  least  confounded.  In  his  dire  extremity  he  remembered 
the  gitts  his  aunt  had  given  him  when  they  parted,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  as  if  she  must,  with  prophetic  foresight,  have 
divined  this  hour  of  need.  He  coolly  opened  the  flint-bag  that 
his  aunt  had  given  him  and  set  fire  to  the  grass  near  him. 
Then  drawing  the  sword  of  Murakumo  from  its  sheath  he  set 
to  work  to  cut  down  the  grass  on  either  side  of  him  with  all 
speed.  He  determined  to  die,  if  that  were  necessary,  fighting  for 
his  life  and  not  standing  still  waiting  for  death  to  come  to  him. 

Strange  to  say  the  wind  began  to  change  and  to  blow  from  the 
opposite  direction,  and  the  fiercest  portion  of  the  burning  bush 
which  had  hitherto  threatened  to  come  upon  him  was  now 
blown  right  away  from  him,  and  the  Prince,  without  even 
a  scratch  on  his  body  or  a  single  hair  burned,  lived  to  tell  the 
tale  of  his  wonderful  escape,  while  the  wind  rising  to  a  gale 
overtook  the  governor,  and  he  was  burned  to  death  in  the  flames 
he  had  set  alight  to  kill  Yamato  Take. 

Now  the  Prince  ascribed  his  escape  entirely  to  the  virtue  of 
the  sword  of  Murakumo,  and  to  the  protection  of  Amaterasu, 
the  Sun  Goddess  of  Ise,  who  controls  the  wind  and  all  the 
elements  and  ensures  the  safety  of  all  who  pray  to  her  in  the 
hour  of  danger.  Lifting  the  precious  sword  he  raised  it  above 
his  head  many  times  in  token  of  his  great  respect,  and  as  he  did 
this  he  re-named  it  Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi  or  the  Grass-Cleaving 
Sword,  and  the  place  where  he  set  fire  to  the  grass  round  him 
and  escaped  from  death  in  the  burning  prairie,  he  called  Yaidzu. 
To  this  day  there  is  a  spot  along  the  great  Tokaido  railway 
named  Yaidzu,  which  is  said  to  be  the  very  place  where  this 
thrilling  event  took  place. 


236  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Thus  did  the  brave  Prince  Yamato  Take  escape  out  of  the 
snare  laid  for  him  by  his  enemy.  He  was  full  of  resource 
and  courage,  and  finally  outwitted  and  subdued  all  his  foes. 
Leaving  Yaidzu  he  marched  eastward,  and  came  to  the  shore  at 
Idzu  from  whence  he  wished  to  cross  to  Kadzusa. 

In  these  dangers  and  adventures  he  had  been  followed 
by  his  faithful  loving  wife  the  Princess  Ototachibana.  For 
his  sake  she  counted  the  weariness  of  the  long  journeys  and 
the  dangers  of  war  as  nothing,  and  her  love  for  her  warrior 
husband  was  so  great  that  she  felt  well  repaid  for  all  her 
wanderings  if  she  could  but  hand  him  his  sword  when  he  sallied 
forth  to  battle,  or  minister  to  his  wants  when  he  returned  weary 
to  the  camp. 

But  the  heart  of  the  Prince  was  full  ot  war  and  conquest 
and  he  cared  little  for  the  faithful  Ototachibana.  From  long 
exposure  in  travelling,  and  from  care  and  grief  at  her  lord's 
coldness  to  her,  her  beauty  had  faded,  and  her  ivory  skin 
was  burnt  brown  by  the  sun,  and  the  Prince  told  her  one 
day  that  her  place  was  in  the  Palace  behind  the  screens 
at  home  and  not  with  him  upon  the  warpath.  But  in  spite 
of  rebuffs  and  indifference  on  her  husband's  part,  Ototachibana 
could  not  find  it  in  her  heart  to  leave  him.  But  perhaps 
it  would  have  been  better  for  her  if  she  had  done  so,  for  on  the 
way  to  Idzu,  when  they  came  to  Owari,  her  heart  was  well 
nigh  broken. 

Here  dwelt  in  a  Palace  shaded  by  pine-trees  and  approached 
by  imposing  gates,  the  Princess  Miyadzu,  beautiful  as  the 
cherry  blossom  in  the  blushing  dawn  of  a  spring  morning. 
Her  garments  were  dainty  and  bright,  and  her  skin  was  white 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  237 

as  snow,  for  she  had  never  known  what  it  was  to  be  weary 
along  the  path  of  duty  or  to  walk  in  the  heat  of  a  summer's 
sun.  And  the  Prince  was  ashamed  of  his  sunburnt  wife  in  her 
travel-stained  garments,  and  bade  her  remain  behind  while  he 
went  to  visit  the  Princess  Miyadzu.  Day  after  day  he  spent 
hours  in  the  gardens  and  the  Palace  of  his  new  friend,  thinking 
only  of  his  pleasure,  and  caring  little  for  his  poor  wife  who 
remained  behind  to  weep  in  the  tent  at  the  misery  which  had 
come  into  her  life.  Yet  she  was  so  faithful  a  wife,  and  her 
character  so  patient,  that  she  never  allowed  a  reproach  to 
escape  her  lips,  or  a  frown  to  mar  the  sweet  sadness  of  her  face, 
and  she  was  ever  ready  with  a  smile  to  welcome  her  husband 
back  or  usher  him  forth  wherever  he  went. 

At  last  the  day  came  when  the  Prince  Yamato  Take  must 
depart  for  Idzu  and  cross  over  the  sea  to  Kadzusa,  and  he  bade 
his  wife  follow  in  his  retinue  as  an  attendant  while  he  went  to 
take  a  ceremonious  farewell  of  the  Princess  Miyadzu.  She 
came  out  to  greet  him  dressed  in  gorgeous  robes,  and  she 
seemed  more  beautiful  than  ever,  and  when  Yamato  Take  saw 
her  he  forgot  his  wife,  his  duty,  and  everything  except  the  joy  of 
the  idle  present,  and  swore  that  he  would  return  to  Owari  and 
marry  her  when  the  war  was  over.  And  as  he  looked  up  when 
he  had  said  these  words  he  met  the  large  almond  eyes  of 
Ototachibana  fixed  full  upon  him  in  unspeakable  sadness  and 
wonder,  and  he  knew  that  he  had  done  wrong,  but  he  hardened 
his  heart  and  rode  on,  caring  little  for  the  pain  he  had  caused 
her. 

When  they  reached  the  seashore  at  Idzu  his  men  sought 
for  boats  in  which  to  cross  the  straits  to  Kadzusa,  but  it  was 


238  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

difficult  to  find  boats  enough  to  allow  all  the  soldiers  to  embark. 
Then  the  Prince  stood  on  the  beach,  and  in  the  pride  of  his 
strength  he  scoffed  and  said  : 

"This  is  not  the  sea  !  This  is  only  a  brook  !  Why  do 
you  men  want  so  many  boats  ?  I  could  jump  this  if  I 
would." 

When  at  last  they  had  all  embarked  and  were  fairly  on  their 
way  across  the  straits,  the  sky  suddenly  clouded  and  a  great  storm 
arose.  The  waves  rose  mountains  high,  the  wind  howled,  the 
lightning  flashed  and  the  thunder  rolled,  and  the  boat  which 
held  Ototachibana  and  the  Prince  and  his  men  was  tossed  from 
crest  to  crest  of  the  rolling  waves,  till  it  seemed  that  every 
moment  must  be  their  last  and  that  they  must  all  be  swallowed 
up  in  the  angry  sea.  For  Rin  Jin,  the  Dragon  King  of  the  Sea, 
had  heard  Yamato  Take  jeer,  and  had  raised  this  terrible  storm 
in  anger,  to  show  the  scoffing  Prince  how  awful  the  sea  could 
be  though  it  did  but  look  like  a  brook. 

The  terrified  crew  lowered  the  sails  and  looked  after  the 
rudder,  and  worked  for  their  dear  lives'  sake,  but  all  in  vain — 
the  storm  only  seemed  to  increase  in  violence,  and  all  gave 
themselves  up  for  lost.  Then  the  faithful  Ototachibana  rose, 
and  forgetting  all  the  grief  that  her  husband  had  caused  her, 
forgetting  even  that  he  had  wearied  of  her,  in  the  one  great 
desire  of  her  love  to  save  him,  she  determined  to  sacrifice  her 
life  to  rescue  him  from  death  if  it  were  possible. 

While  the  waves  dashed  over  the  ship  and  the  wind  whirled 
round  them  in  fury  she  stood  up  and  said : 

"  Surely  all  this  has  come  because  the  Prince  has 
angered  Rin  Jin,  the  God  of  the  Sea,  by  his  jesting.     If  so, 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  239 

I,    Ototachibana,    will    appease   the   wrath    of  the    Sea    God 
who  desires  nothing  less  than  my  husband's  life  !  " 

Then  addressing  the  sea  she  said  : 

"  I  will  take  the  place  of  His  Augustness,  Yamato  Take. 
I  will  now  cast  myself  into  your  outraged  depths,  giving  my 
life  for  his.  Therefore  hear  me  and  bring  him  safely  to  the 
shore  of  Kadzusa." 

With  these  words  she  leaped  quickly  into  the  boisterous 
sea,  and  the  waves  soon  whirled  her  away  and  she  was  lost  to 
sight.  Strange  to  say,  the  storm  ceased  at  once,  and  the  sea 
became  as  calm  and  smooth  as  the  matting  on  which  the 
astonished  onlookers  were  sitting.  The  gods  of  the  sea  were 
now  appeased,  and  the  weather  cleared  and  the  sun  shone  as 
on  a  summer's  day. 

Yamato  Take  soon  reached  the  opposite  shore  and  landed 
safely,  even  as  his  wife  Ototachibana  had  prayed.  His  prowess 
in  war  was  marvellous,  and  he  succeeded  after  some  time  in 
conquering  the  Eastern  Barbarians,  the  Ainu. 

He  ascribed  his  safe  landing  wholly  to  the  faithfulness  of 
his  wife,  who  had  so  willingly  and  lovingly  sacrificed  herself  in 
the  hour  of  his  utmost  peril.  His  heart  was  softened  at  the 
remembrance  of  her,  and  he  never  allowed  her  to  pass  from  his 
thoughts  even  for  a  moment.  Too  late  had  he  learned  to 
esteem  the  goodness  of  her  heart  and  the  greatness  of  her  love 
for  him. 

As  he  was  returning  on  his  homeward  way  he  came  to  the 
high  pass  of  the  Usui  Toge,  and  here  he  stood  and  gazed  at  the 
wonderful  prospect  beneath  him.  The  country,  from  this  great 
elevation,  all  lay  open  to  his  sight,  avast  panorama  of  mountain 


240  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

and  plain  and  forest,  with  rivers  winding  like  silver  ribbons 
through  the  land ;  then  far  off  he  saw  the  distant  sea,  which 
shimmered  like  a  luminous  mist  in  the  great  distance,  where 
Ototachibana  had  given  her  life  for  him,  and  as  he  turned 
towards  it  he  stretched  out  his  arms,  and  thinking  of  her  love 
which  he  had  scorned  and  his  faithlessness  to  her,  his  heart 
burst  out  into  a  sorrowful  and  bitter  cry : 

"Azuma,  Azuma,  Ya  !  "  (Oh!  my  wife,  my  wife!)  And 
to  this  day  there  is  a  district  in  Tokio  called  Azuma,  which 
commemorates  the  words  of  Prince  Yamato  Take,  and  the 
place  where  his  faithful  wife  leapt  into  the  sea  to  save  him  is 
still  pointed  out.  So,  though  in  life  the  Princess  Ototachi- 
bana was  unhappy,  history  keeps  her  memory  green,  and 
the  story  of  her  unselfishness  and  heroic  death  will  never 
pass  away. 

Yamato  Take  had  now  fulfilled  all  his  father's  orders,  he 
had  subdued  all  rebels,  and  rid  the  land  of  all  robbers  and 
enemies  to  the  peace,  and  his  renown  was  great,  for  in  the 
whole  land  there  was  no  one  who  could  stand  up  against  him, 
he  was  so  strong  in  battle  and  wise  in  council. 

He  was  about  to  return  straight  for  home  by  the  way  he 
had  come,  when  the  thought  struck  him  that  he  would  find 
it  more  interesting  to  take  another  route,  so  he  passed  through 
the  province  of  Owari  and  came  to  the  province  of  Omi. 

When  the  Prince  reached  Omi  he  found  the  people  in  a 
state  of  great  excitement  and  fear.  In  many  houses  as  he 
passed  along  he  saw  the  signs  of  mourning  and  heard  loud 
lamentations.  On  inquiring  the  cause  of  this  he  was  told  that 
a  terrible  monster  had  appeared  in  the  mountains,  who  daily 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take. 


241 


came    down  from    thence    and    made    raids    on    the    villages, 
devouring  whoever  he   could  seize.     Many  homes  had   been 


A  Monster  Serpent  appeared. 

made  desolate  and  the  men  were  afraid  to  go  out  to  their  daily 
work  in  the  fields,  or  the  women  to  go  to  the  rivers  to  wash 
their  rice. 

f.b.  R 


242  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

When  Yamato  Take  heard  this  his  wrath  was  kindled,  and 
he  said  fiercely  : 

"  From  the  western  end  of  Kiushiu  to  the  eastern  corner 
of  Yezo  I  have  subdued  all  the  King's  enemies — there  is  no  one 
who  dares  to  break  the  laws  or  to  rebel  against  the  King.  It 
is  indeed  a  matter  for  wonder  that  here  in  this  place,  so  near 
the  capital,  a  wicked  monster  has  dared  to  take  up  its  abode 
and  be  the  terror  of  the  King's  subjects.  Not  long  shall  it  find 
pleasure  in  devouring  innocent  folk.  I  will  start  out  and  kill 
it  at  once." 

With  these  words  he  set  out  for  the  Ibuki  Mountain,  where 
the  monster  was  said  to  live.  He  climbed  up  a  good  distance, 
when  all  of  a  sudden,  at  a  winding  in  the  path,  a  monster  serpent 
appeared  before  him  and  stopped  the  way. 

"  This  must  be  the  monster,"  said  the  Prince  ;  "  I  do  not 
need  my  sword  for  a  serpent.     I  can  kill  him  with  my  hands." 

He  thereupon  sprang  upon  the  serpent  and  tried  to  strangle 
it  to  death  with  his  bare  arms.  It  was  not  long  before  his  pro- 
digious strength  gained  the  mastery  and  the  serpent  lay  dead  at 
his  feet.  Now  a  sudden  darkness  came  over  the  mountain  and 
rain  began  to  fall,  so  that  for  the  gloom  and  the  rain  the  Prince 
could  hardly  see  which  way  to  take.  In  a  short  time,  however, 
while  he  was  groping  his  way  down  the  pass,  the  weather 
cleared,  and  our  brave  hero  was  able  to  make  his  way  quickly 
down  the  mountain. 

When  he  got  back  he  began  to  feel  ill  and  to  have 
burning  pains  in  his  feet,  so  he  knew  that  the  serpent  had 
poisoned  him.  So  great  was  his  suffering  that  he  could  hardly 
move,  much  less  walk,  so  he  had  himself  carried  to  a  place  in 


The  Story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take.  243 

the  mountains  famous  for  its  hot  mineral  springs,  which  rose 
bubbling  out  of  the  earth,  and  almost  boiling  from  the 
volcanic  fires  beneath. 

Yamato  Take  bathed  daily  in  these  waters,  and  gradually 
he  felt  his  strength  come  again,  and  the  pains  left  him.  till  at 
last  one  day  he  found  with  great  joy  that  he  was  quite  recovered. 
He  now  hastened  to  the  temples  of  Ise,  where  you  will  remem- 
ber that  he  prayed  before  undertaking  this  long  expedition. 
His  aunt,  priestess  of  the  shrine,  who  had  blessed  him  on  his 
setting  out,  now  came  to  welcome  him  back.  He  told  her  of 
the  many  dangers  he  had  encountered  and  of  how  marvellously 
his  life  had  been  preserved  through  all — and  she  praised  his 
courage  and  his  warrior's  prowess,  and  then  putting  on  her 
most  magnificent  robes  she  returned  thanks  to  their  ancestress 
the  Sun  Goddess  Amaterasu,  to  whose  protection  they  both 
ascribed  the  Prince's  wonderful  preservation. 

Here  ends  the  story  of  Prince  Yamato  Take  of  Japan. 


R  2 


(     244     ) 


MOMOTARO,   OR   THE  STORY    OF   THE   SON   OF 

A   PEACH. 

Long,  long  ago  there  lived  an  old  man  and  an  old  woman; 
they  were  peasants,  and  had  to  work  hard  to  earn  their  daily 
rice.  The  old  man  used  to  go  and  cut  grass  for  the  farmers 
around,  and  while  he  was  gone  the  old  woman,  his  wife,  did  the 
work  of  the  house  and  worked  in  their  own  little  rice  field. 

One  day  the  old  man  went  to  the  hills  as  usual  to  cut  grass 
and  the  old  woman  took  some  clothes  to  the  river  to  wash. 

It  was  nearly  summer,  and  the  country  was  very  beautiful 
to  see  in  its  fresh  greenness  as  the  two  old  people  went  on 
their  way  to  work.  The  grass  on  the  banks  of  the  river  looked 
like  emerald  velvet,  and  the  pussy  willows  along  the  edge  of 
the  water  were  shaking  out  their  soft  tassels. 

The  breezes  blew  and  ruffled  the  smooth  surface  of  the 
water  into  wavelets,  and  passing  on  touched  the  cheeks  of  the 
old  couple  who,  for  some  reason  they  could  not  explain,  felt 
very  happy  that  morning. 

The  old  woman  at  last  found  a  nice  spot  by  the  river  bank 
and  put  her  basket  down.  Then  she  set  to  work  to  wash  the 
clothes  ;  she  took  them  one  by  one  out  of  the  basket  and 
washed  them  in  the  river  and  rubbed  them  on  the  stones.  The 
water  was  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  she  could  see  the  tiny  fish 
swimming  to  and  fro,  and  the  pebbles  at  the  bottom. 


Momotaro,  or  the  Story  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     245 

As  she  was  busy  washing  her  clothes  a  great  peach  came 
bumping  down  the  stream.     The  old  woman  looked  up  from 


She  set  to  Work  to  Wash  the  Clothes. 

her  work  and  saw  this  large  peach.  She  was  sixty  years  ot  age, 
yet  in  all  her  life  she  had  never  seen  such  a  big  peach  as  this. 

"  How  delicious  that  peach  must  be  !  "  she  said  to  herself. 
"  I  must  certainly  get  it  and  take  it  home  to  my  old  man." 

She  stretched  out  her  arm  to  try  and  get  it,  but  it  was 
quite  out  of  her  reach.     She  looked  about  for  a  stick,  but  there 


246  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

was  not  one  to  be  seen,  and  if  she  went  to  look  for  one  she 

would  lose  the  peach. 

Stopping   a   moment   to    think    what    she  would    do,    she 

remembered  an  old  charm-verse.     Now  she  began  to  clap  her 

hands  to  keep  time  to  the  rolling  of  the  peach  down  stream, 

and  while  she  clapped  she  sang  this  song  : 

"  Distant  water  is  bitter, 
The  near  water  is  sweet ; 
Pass  by  the  distant  water 
And  come  into  the  sweet." 

Strange  to  say,  as  soon  as  she  began  to  repeat  this  little 
song  the  peach  began  to  come  nearer  and  nearer  the  bank 
where  the  old  woman  was  standing,  till  at  last  it  stopped  just 
in  front  of  her  so  that  she  was  able  to  take  it  up  in  her  hands. 
The  old  woman  was  delighted.  She  could  not  go  on  with  her 
work,  so  happy  and  excited  was  she,  so  she  put  all  the  clothes 
back  in  her  bamboo  basket,  and  with  the  basket  on  her  back 
and  the  peach  in  her  hand  she  hurried  homewards. 

It  seemed  a  very  long  time  to  her  to  wait  till  her  husband 
returned.  The  old  man  at  last  came  back  as  the  sun  was 
setting,  with  a  big  bundle  of  grass  on  his  back — so  big  that  he 
was  almost  hidden  and  she  could  hardly  see  him.  He  seemed 
very  tired  and  used  the  scythe  for  a  walking  stick,  leaning  on  it 
as  he  walked  along. 

As  soon  as  the  old  woman  saw  him  she  called  out : 

"  0  xiiSan!  (old  man)  I  have  been  waiting  for  you  to  come 
home  for  such  a  long  time  to-day  !  " 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  Why  are  you  so  impatient?"  asked 
the  old  man,  wondering  at  her  unusual  eagerness.  "  Has 
anything  happened  while  I  have  been  away  ?  " 


Momotaro,  or  the  Story  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     247 

"  Oh,    no !  "    answered    the    old   woman,    "  nothing    has 
happened,  only  I  have  found  a  nice  present  for  you  !  " 


The  Peach  split  in  Two  of  itself. 

"That  is  good,"  said  the  old  man.     He  then  washed  his 
feet  in  a  basin  of  water  and  stepped  up  to  the  verandah. 

The  old  woman  now  ran  into  the  little  room  and  brought 


248  Japanese  Fairy  -Book. 

out  from  the  cupboard  the  big  peach.  It  felt  even  heavier 
than  before.     She  held  it  up  to  him,  saying : 

"Just  look  at  this  !  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  large  peach 
in  all  your  life  ?  " 

When  the  old  man  looked  at  the  peach  he  was  greatly 
astonished  and  said  : 

"This  is  indeed  the  largest  peach  I  have  ever  seen! 
Wherever  did  you  buy  it  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  buy  it,"  answered  the  old  woman.  "  I  found  it 
in  the  river  where  I  was  washing."  And  she  told  him  the  whole 
story. 

"  I  am  very  glad  that  you  have  found  it.  Let  us  eat  it 
now,  for  I  am  hungry,"  said  the  O  Jii  San. 

He  brought  out  the  kitchen  knife,  and,  placing  the  peach 
on  a  board,  was  about  to  cut  it  when,  wonderful  to  tell,  the 
peach  split  in  two  of  itself  and  a  clear  voice  said  : 

"  Wait  a  bit,  old  man!"  and  out  stepped  a  beautiful  little  child. 

The  old  man  and  his  wife  were  both  so  astonished  at  what 
they  saw  that  they  fell  to  the  ground.  The  child  spoke 
again  : 

"  Don't  be  afraid.  I  am  no  demon  or  fairy.  I  will  tell 
you  the  truth.  Heaven  has  had  compassion  on  you.  Every 
day  and  every  night  you  have  lamented  that  you  had  no  child. 
Your  cry  has  been  heard  and  I  am  sent  to  be  the  son  of  your 
old  age  !  '* 

On  hearing  this  the  old  man  and  his  wife  were  very  happy. 
They  had  cried  night  and  day  for  sorrow  at  having  no  child  to 
help  them  in  their  lonely  old  age,  and  now  that  their  prayer 
was  answered  they  were  so  lost  with  joy  that  they  did  not 


Momotaro,  or  the  Story  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     249 

know  where  to  put  their  hands  or  their  feet.  First  the  old 
man  took  the  child  up  in  his  arms,  and  then  the  old  woman 
did  the  same ;  and  they  named  him  Momotaro,  or  Son  of  a 
Peach,  because  he  had  come  out  of  a  peach. 

The  years  passed  quickly  by  and  the  child  grew  to  be  fifteen 
years  of  age.  He  was  taller  and  far  stronger  than  any  other 
boys  of  his  own  age,  he  had  a  handsome  face  and  a  heart  full 
of  courage,  and  he  was  very  wise  for  his  years.  The  old 
couple's  pleasure  was  very  great  when  they  looked  at  him,  for 
he  was  just  what  they  thought  a  hero  ought  to  be  like. 

One  day  Momotaro  came  to  his  foster-father  and  said 
solemnly  : 

"Father,  by  a  strange  chance  we  have  become  father  and 
son.  Your  goodness  to  me  has  been  higher  than  the  mountain 
grasses  which  it  was  your  daily  work  to  cut,  and  deeper  than 
the  river  where  my  mother  washes  the  clothes.  I  do  not  know 
how  to  thank  you  enough." 

"  Why,"  answered  the  old  man,  "  it  is  a  matter  of  course 
that  a  father  should  bring  up  his  son.  When  you  are  older  it 
will  be  your  turn  to  take  care  of  us,  so  after  all  there  will  be 
no  profit  or  loss  between  us — all  will  be  equal.  Indeed,  I  am 
rather  surprised  that  you  should  thank  me  in  this  way!  "  and 
the  old  man  looked  bothered. 

"  I  hope  you  will  be  patient  with  me,"  said  Momotaro  ; 
"  but  before  I  begin  to  pay  back  your  goodness  to  me  I  have  a 
request  to  make  which  I  hope  you  will  grant  me  above 
everything  else." 

"I  will  let  you  do  whatever  you  wish,  for  you  are  quite 
different  to  all  other  boys  !  " 


250  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  Then  let  me  go  away  at  once !  " 

"  What  do  you  say  ?  Do  you  wish  to  leave  your  old  father 
and  mother  and  go  away  from  your  old  home  ?  " 

"  I  will  surely  come  back  again,  if  you  let  me  go  now  !  " 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  You  must  think  it  strange  that  I  want  to  go  away,"  said 
Momotaro,  "because  I  have  not  yet  told  you  my  reason.  Far 
away  from  here  to  the  north-east  of  Japan  there  is  an  island  in 
the  sea.  This  island  is  the  stronghold  of  a  band  of  devils.  I 
have  often  heard  how  they  invade  this  land,  kill  and  rob  the 
people,  and  carry  off  all  they  can  find.  They  are  not  only  very 
wicked  but  they  are  disloyal  to  our  Emperor  and  disobey  his 
laws.  They  are  also  cannibals,  for  they  kill  and  eat  some  of 
the  poor  people  who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  fall  into  their 
hands.  These  devils  are  very  hateful  beings.  I  must  go  and 
conquer  them  and  bring  back  all  the  plunder  of  which  they 
have  robbed  this  land.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  want  to  go 
away  for  a  short  time  !  " 

The  old  man  was  much  surprised  at  hearing  all  this  from  a 
mere  boy  of  fifteen.  He  thought  it  best  to  let  the  boy  go.  He 
was  strong  and  fearless,  and  besides  all  this,  the  old  man  knew 
he  was  no  common  child,  for  he  had  been  sent  to  them  as  a 
gift  from  Heaven,  and  he  felt  quite  sure  that  the  devils  would 
be  powerless  to  harm  him. 

"  All  you  say  is  very  interesting,  Momotaro,"  said  the  old 
man.  "  I  will  not  hinder  you  in  your  determination.  You 
may  go  if  you  wish.  Go  to  the  island  as  soon  as  ever  you  like 
and  destroy  the  demons  and  bring  peace  to  the  land." 

"  Thank  you,  for  all  your  kindness,"  said  Momotaro,  who 


Momotaro,  or  the  Story  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     251 

began  to  get  ready  to  go  that  very  day.  He  was  full  of 
courage  and  did  not  know  what  fear  was. 

The  old  man  and  woman  at  once  set  to  work  to  pound  rice 
in  the  kitchen  mortar  to  make  cakes  for  Momotaro  to  take  with 
him  on  his  journey. 

At  last  the  cakes  were  made  and  Momotaro  ready  to  start 
on  his  long  journey. 

Parting  is  always  sad.  So  it  was  now.  The  eyes  of  the 
two  old  people  were  filled  with  tears  and  their  voices  trembled 
as  they  said : 

"  Go  with  all  care  and  speed.  We  expect  you  back 
victorious !  " 

Momotaro  was  very  sorry  to  leave  his  old  parents,  (though 
he  knew  he  was  coming  back  as  soon  as  he  could)  for  he  thought 
of  how  lonely  they  would  be  while  he  was  away.  But  he  said 
"  Good-bye  !  "  quite  bravely. 

"  I  am  going  now.  Take  good  care  of  yourselves  while  I 
am  away.  Good-bye  !  "  And  he  stepped  quickly  out  of  the 
house.  In  silence  the  eyes  of  Momotaro  and  his  parents  met 
in  farewell. 

Momotaro  now  hurried  on  his  way  till  it  was  midday.  He 
began  to  feel  hungry,  so  he  opened  his  bag  and  took  out  one 
of  the  rice-cakes  and  sat  down  under  a  tree  by  the  side  of  the 
road  to  eat  it.  While  he  was  thus  having  his  lunch  a  dog 
almost  as  large  as  a  colt  came  running  out  from  the  high 
grass.  He  made  straight  for  Momotaro,  and  showing  his 
teeth,  said  in  a  fierce  way: 

"  You  are  a  rude  man  to  pass  my  field  without  asking 
permission    first.       If  you  leave  me  all  the  cakes   you    have 


252  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

in  your  bag  you  may  go  ;  otherwise  I  will  bite  you  till  I  kill 
you!" 

Momotaro  only  laughed  scornfully  : 

"  What  is  that  you  are  saying  ?  Do  you  know  who  I  am  ? 
I  am  Momotaro,  and  I  am  on  my  way  to  subdue  the  devils  in 
their  island  stronghold  in  the  north-east  of  Japan.  If  you  try 
to  stop  me  on  my  way  there  I  will  cut  you  in  two  from  the 
head  downwards  !  " 

The  dog's  manner  at  once  changed.  His  tail  dropped 
between  his  legs,  and  coming  near  he  bowed  so  low  that  his 
forehead  touched  the  ground. 

"  What  do  I  hear  ?  The  name  of  Momotaro  ?  Are  you 
indeed  Momotaro  ?  I  have  often  heard  of  your  great  strength. 
Not  knowing  who  you  were  I  have  behaved  in  a  very  stupid 
way.  Will  you  please  pardon  my  rudeness  ?  Are  you  indeed 
on  your  way  to  invade  the  Island  of  Devils  ?  If  you  will  take 
such  a  rude  fellow  with  you  as  one  of  your  followers,  I  shall  be 
very  grateful  to  you." 

"  I  think  I  can  take  you  with  me  if  you  wish  to  go,"  said 
Momotaro. 

"Thank  you!"  said  the  dog.  "  By  the  way,  I  am  very 
very  hungry.  Will  you  give  me  one  of  the  cakes  you  are 
carrying  ?  " 

"  This  is  the  best  kind  of  cake  there  is  in  Japan,"  said 
Momotaro.  "  I  cannot  spare  you  a  whole  one  ;  I  will  give  you 
half  of  one." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,"  said  the  dog,  taking  the  piece 
thrown  to  him. 

Then  Momotaro  got  up  and  the  dog  followed.     For  a  long 


Momotaro,  or  the  Story  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     253 

time  they  walked  over  the  hills  and  through  the  valleys.  As 
they  were  going  along  an  animal  came  down  from  a  tree  a 
little  ahead  of  them.  The  creature  soon  came  up  to  Momotaro 
and  said: 

"Good  morning,  Momotaro!  You  are  welcome  in  this 
part  of  the  country.      Will  you  allow  me  to  go  with  you  ?  " 

The  dog  answered  jealously  : 

"  Momotaro  already  has  a  dog  to  accompany  him.  Of 
what  use  is  a  monkey  like  you  in  battle  ?  We  are  on  our  way 
to  fight  the  devils  !     Get  away  !  " 

The  dog  and  the  monkey  began  to  quarrel  and  bite,  for 
these  two  animals  always  hate  each  other. 

"  Now,  don't  quarrel  !  "  said  Momotaro,  putting  himself 
between  them.     "Wait  a  moment,  dog  !  " 

"  It  is  not  at  all  dignified  for  you  to  have  such  a  creature 
as  that  following  you  !  "  said  the  dog. 

"  What  do  you  know  about  it  ?  "  asked  Momotaro  ;  and 
pushing  aside  the  dog,  he  spoke  to  the  monkey  : 

"Who  are  you?" 

"  I  am  a  monkey  living  in  these  hills,"  replied  the  monkey. 
"  I  heard  of  your  expedition  to  the  Island  of  Devils,  and  I  have 
come  to  go  with  you.  Nothing  will  please  me  more  than  to 
follow  you  !  " 

"  Do  you  really  wish  to  go  to  the  Island  of  Devils  and 
fight  with  me  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  monkey. 

"  I  admire  your  courage,"  said  Momotaro.  "  Here  is  a 
piece  of  one  of  my  fine  rice-cakes.     Come  along  !  " 

So    the   monkey  joined    Momotaro.      The    dog    and    the 


254  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

monkey  did  not  get  on  well  together.  They  were  always 
snapping  at  each  other  as  they  went  along,  and  always 
wanting  to  have  a  fight.  This  made  Momotaro  very  cross, 
and  at  last  he  sent  the  dog  on  ahead  with  a  flag  and  put  the 
monkey  behind  with  a  sword,  and  he  placed  himself  between 
them  with  a  war-fan,  which  is  made  of  iron. 

By-and-bye  they  came  to  a  large  field.  Here  a  bird  flew 
down  and  alighted  on  the  ground  just  in  front  of  the  little 
party.  It  was  the  most  beautiful  bird  Momotaro  had  ever  seen. 
On  its  body  were  five  different  robes  of  feathers  and  its  head 
was  covered  with  a  scarlet  cap. 

The  dog  at  once  ran  at  the  bird  and  tried  to  seize  and  kill 
it.  But  the  bird  struck  out  its  spurs  and  flew  at  the  dog's 
tail,  and  the  fight  went  hard  with  both. 

Momotaro,  as  he  looked  on,  could  not  help  admiring  the 
bird  ;  it  showed  so  much  spirit  in  the  fight.  It  would  certainly 
make  a  good  fighter. 

Momotaro  went  up  to  the  two  combatants,  and  holding  the 
dog  back,  said  to  the  bird  : 

"You  rascal !  you  are  hindering  my  journey.  Surrender  at 
once,  and  I  will  take  you  with  me.  If  you  don't  I  will  set  this 
dog  to  bite  your  head  off !  " 

Then  the  bird  surrendered  at  once,  and  begged  to  be  taken 
into  Momotaro's  company. 

"  I  do  not  know  what  excuse  to  offer  for  quarrelling  with 
the  dog,  your  servant,  but  I  did  not  see  you.  I  am  a  miserable 
bird  called  a  pheasant.  It  is  very  generous  of  you  to  pardon 
my  rudeness  and  to  take  me  with  you.  Please  allow  me  to 
follow  you  behind  the  dog  and  the  monkey  !  " 


Momotaro,  or  the  Story  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     255 

"  I  congratulate  you  on  surrendering  so  soon,"  said 
Momotaro,  smiling.  "Come  and  join  us  in  our  raid  on  the 
devils." 

"  Are  you  going  to  take  this  bird  with  you  also  ?  "  asked 
the  dog,  interrupting. 

"  Why  do  you  ask  such  an  unnecessary  question  ?  Didn't  you 
hear  what  I  said  ?     I  take  the  bird  with  me  because  I  wish  to  !  " 

"  Humph  !  "  said  the  dog. 

Then  Momotaro  stood  and  gave  this  order  : 

"  Now  all  of  you  must  listen  to  me.  The  first  thing 
necessary  in  an  army  is  harmony.  It  is  a  wise  saying  which 
says  that  '  Advantage  on  earth  is  better  than  advantage  in 
Heaven  !  '  Union  amongst  ourselves  is  better  than  any  earthly 
gain.  When  we  are  not  at  peace  amongst  ourselves  it  is  no 
easy  thing  to  subdue  an  enemy.  From  now,  you  three,  the 
dog,  the  monkey  and  the  pheasant,  must  be  friends  with  one 
mind.  The  one  who  first  begins  a  quarrel  will  be  discharged 
on  the  spot !  " 

All  the  three  promised  not  to  quarrel.  The  pheasant  was 
now  made  a  member  of  Momotaro's  suite,  and  received  half 
a  cake. 

Momotaro's  influence  was  so  great  that  the  three  became 
good  friends,  and  hurried  onwards  with  him  as  their  leader. 

Hurrying  on  day  after  day  they  at  last  came  out  upon  the 
shore  of  the  North-Eastern  Sea.  There  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  as  far  as  the  horizon — not  a  sign  of  any  island.  All  that 
broke  the  stillness  was  the  rolling  of  the  waves  upon  the  shore. 

Now,  the  dog  and  the  monkey  and  the  pheasant  had  come 
very  bravely  all  the  way  through  the  long  valleys  and  over  the 


256  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

hills,  but  they  had  never  seen  the  sea  before,  and  for  the  first 
time  since  they  set  out  they  were  bewildered  and  gazed  at 
each  other  in  silence.  How  were  they  to  cross  the  water  and 
get  to  the  Island  of  Devils  ? 

Momotaro  soon  saw  that  they  were  daunted  by  the  sight  of 
the  sea,  and  to  try  them  he  spoke  loudly  and  roughly  : 

"  Why  do  you  hesitate  ?  Are  you  afraid  of  the  sea  ?  Oh  ! 
what  cowards  you  are  !  It  is  impossible  to  take  such  weak 
creatures  as  you  with  me  to  fight  the  demons.  It  will  be  far 
better  for  me  to  go  alone.     I  discharge  you  all  at  once  !  " 

The  three  animals  were  taken  aback  at  this  sharp  reproof, 
and  clung  to  Momotaro's  sleeve,  begging  him  not  to  send 
them  away. 

"  Please,  Momotaro  !  "  said  the  dog. 

"  We  have  come  thus  far  !  "  said  the  monkey. 

"  It  is  inhuman  to  leave  us  here  !  "  said  the  pheasant. 

"  We  are  not  at  all  afraid  of  the  sea,"  said  the  monkey  again. 

"  Please  do  take  us  with  you,"  said  the  pheasant. 

"  Do  please,"  said  the  dog. 

They  had  now  gained  a  little  courage,  so  Momotaro  said  : 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  take  you  with  me,  but  be  careful  !  " 

Momotaro  now  got  a  small  ship,  and  they  all  got  on  board. 
The  wind  and  weather  were  fair,  and  the  ship  went  like  an 
arrow  over  the  sea.  It  was  the  first  time  they  had  ever  been 
on  the  water,  and  so  at  first  the  dog,  the  monkey  and  the 
pheasant  were  frightened  at  the  waves  and  the  rolling  of  the 
vessel,  but  by  degrees  they  grew  accustomed  to  the  water  and 
were  quite  happy  again.  Every  day  they  paced  the  deck  of 
jtheir  little  ship,  eagerly  looking  out  for  the  demons'  island. 


Momotaro,  or  the  Story  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     257 

When  they  grew  tired  of  this,  they  told  each  other  stories  of 
all  their  exploits  of  which  they  were  proud,  and  then  played 
games  together ;  and  Momotaro  found  much  to  amuse  him  in 
listening  to  the  three  animals  and  watching  their  antics,  and  in 
this  way  he  forgot  that  the  way  was  long  and  that  he  was  tired 
of  the  voyage  and  of  doing  nothing.  He  longed  to  be  at 
work  killing  the  monsters  who  had  done  so  much  harm  in  his 
country. 

As  the  wind  blew  in  their  favour  and  they  met  no  storms  the 
ship  made  a  quick  voyage,  and  one  day  when  the  sun  was  shining 
brightly  a  sight  of  land  rewarded  the  tour  watchers  at  the  bow. 

Momotaro  knew  at  once  that  what  they  saw  was  the  devils' 
stronghold.  On  the  top  ot  the  precipitous  shore,  looking 
out  to  sea,  was  a  large  castle.  Now  that  his  enterprise 
was  close  at  hand,  he  was  deep  in  thought  with  his  head 
leaning  on  his  hands,  wondering  how  he  should  begin  the 
attack.  His  three  followers  watched  him,  waiting  for  orders. 
At  last  he  called  to  the  pheasant : 

"  It  is  a  great  advantage  for  us  to  have  you  with  us,"  said 
Momotaro  to  the  bird,  "  for  you  have  good  wings.  Fly  at  once 
to  the  castle  and  engage  the  demons  to  fight.  We  will  follow 
you." 

The  pheasant  at  once  obeyed.  He  flew  off  from  the  ship 
beating  the  air  gladly  with  his  wings.  The  bird  soon  reached 
the  island  and  took  up  his  position  on  the  roof  in  the  middle  of 
the  castle,  calling  out  loudly  : 

"  All  you  devils  listen  to  me  !  The  great  Japanese  general 
Momotaro  has  come  to  fight  you  and  to  take  your  stronghold 
from  you.     If  you  wish  to  save  your  lives  surrender   at  once, 

F.B.  S 


258  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

and  in  token  of  your  submission  you  must  break  off  the  horns 
that  grow  on  your  forehead.  If  you  do  not  surrender  at 
once,  but  make  up  your  mind  to  fight,  we,  the  pheasant,  the 
dog  and  the  monkey,  will  kill  you  all  by  biting  and  tearing 
you  to  death  !  " 

The  horned  demons  looking  up  and  only  seeing  a  pheasant, 
laughed  and  said : 

"  A  wild  pheasant,  indeed  !  It  is  ridiculous  to  hear  such 
words  from  a  mean  thing  like  you.  Wait  till  you  get  a  blow 
from  one  of  our  iron  bars  !  " 

Very  angry,  indeed,  were  the  devils.  They  shook  their 
horns  and  their  shocks  of  red  hair  fiercely,  and  rushed  to  put 
on  tiger  skin  trousers  to  make  themselves  look  more  terrible. 
They  then  brought  out  great  iron  bars  and  ran  to  where  the 
pheasant  perched  over  their  heads,  and  tried  to  knock  him 
down.  The  pheasant  flew  to  one  side  to  escape  the  blow,  and 
then  attacked  the  head  of  first  one  and  then  another  demon. 
He  flew  round  and  round  them,  beating  the  air  with  his  wings 
so  fiercely  and  ceaselessly,  that  the  devils  began  to  wonder 
whether  they  had  to  fight  one  or  many  more  birds. ' 

In  the  meantime,  Momotaro  had  brought  his  ship  to  land. 
As  they  had  approached,  he  saw  that  the  shore  was  like  a 
precipice,  and  that  the  large  castle  was  surrounded  by  high 
walls  and  large  iron  gates  and  was  strongly  fortified. 

Momotaro  landed,  and  with  the  hope  of  finding  some 
way  of  entrance,  walked  up  the  path  towards  the  top,  followed 
by  the  monkey  and  the  dog.  They  soon  came  upon  two 
beautiful  damsels  washing  clothes  in  a  stream.  Momotaro 
saw  that  the  clothes  were  blood-stained,  and  that  as  the  two 


Momotaro,  or  the  Storv  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     259 

maidens  washed,  the  tears  were  falling  fast  down  their  cheeks. 
He  stopped  and  spoke  to  them  : 

"  Who  are  you,  and  why  do  you  weep  ?  " 

"  We  are  captives  of  the  Demon  King.  We  were  carried 
away  from  our  homes  to  this  island,  and  though  we  are 
the  daughters  of  Daimios  (Lords),  we  are  obliged  to  be  his 
servants,  and  one  day  he  will  kill  us" — and  the  maidens  held 
up  the  blood-stained  clothes — "  and  eat  us,  and  there  is  no 
one  to  help  us  !  " 

And  their  tears  burst  out  afresh  at  this  horrible  thought. 

"  I  will  rescue  you,"  said  Momotaro.  "  Do  not  weep  any 
more,  only  show  me  how  I  may  get  into  the  castle." 

Then  the  two  ladies  led  the  way  and  showed  Momotaro  a 
little  back  door  in  the  lowest  part  of  the  castle  wall — so  small 
that  Momotaro  could  hardly  crawl  in. 

The  pheasant,  who  was  all  this  time  fighting  hard,  saw 
Momotaro  and  his  little  band  rush  in  at  the  back. 

Momotaro's  onslaught  was  so  furious  that  the  devils  could 
not  stand  against  him.  At  first  their  foe  had  been  a  single 
bird,  the  pheasant,  but  now  that  Momotaro  and  the  dog  and 
the  monkey  had  arrived  they  were  bewildered,  for  the  four 
enemies  fought  like  a  hundred,  so  strong  were  they.  Some  of 
the  devils  fell  off  the  parapet  of  the  castle  and  were  dashed  to 
pieces  on  the  rocks  beneath  ;  others  fell  into  the  sea  and  were 
drowned ;  many  were  beaten  to  death  by  the  three  animals. 

The  chief  of  the  devils  at  last  was  the  only  one  left.  He 
made  up  his  mind  to  surrender,  for  he  knew  that  his  enemy  was 
stronger  than  mortal  man. 

He  came  up  humbly  to  Momotaro  and  threw  down  his  iron 

s  2 


260 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


bar,  and  kneeling  down  at  the  victor's  feet  he  broke  off  the  horns 
on  his  head  in  token  of  submission,  for  they  were  the  sign  of  his 
strength  and  power. 


Momotaro  returned  triumphantly  Home,  taking  with  him  the  Devil  Chief  as 

his  Captive. 

"  I  am  afraid  of  you,"  he  said  meekly.  "  I  cannot  stand 
against  you.  I  will  give  you  all  the  treasure  hidden  in  this 
castle  if  5'ou  will  spare  my  life  !  " 

Momotaro  laughed. 


Momotaro,  or  the  Story  of  the  Son  of  a  Peach.     261 

"  It  is  not  like  you,  big  devil,  to  beg  for  mercy,  is  it  ?  I 
cannot  spare  your  wicked  life,  however  much  you  beg,  for  you 
have  killed  and  tortured  many  people  and  robbed  our  country 
for  many  years." 

Then  Momotaro  tied  the  devil  chief  up  and  gave  him  into 
the  monkey's  charge.  Having  done  this,  he  went  into  all  the 
rooms  of  the  castle  and  set  the  prisoners  free  and  gathered 
together  all  the  treasure  he  found. 

The  dog  and  the  pheasant  carried  home  the  plunder,  and 
thus  Momotaro  returned  triumphantly  to  his  home,  taking  with 
him  the  devil  chief  as  a  captive. 

The  two  poor  damsels,  daughters  of  Daimios,  and  others 
whom  the  wicked  demon  had  carried  off  to  be  his  slaves, 
were  taken  safely  to  their  own  homes  and  delivered  to  their 
parents. 

The  whole  country  made  a  hero  of  Momotaro  on  his 
triumphant  return,  and  rejoiced  that  the  country  was  now  freed 
from  the  robber  devils  who  had  been  a  terror  of  the  land  for  a 
long  time. 

The  old  couple's  joy  was  greater  than  ever,  and  the 
treasure  Momotaro  had  brought  home  with  him  enabled  them 
to  live  in  peace  and  plenty  to  the  end  of  their  days. 


(       262       ) 


THE   OGRE   OF   RASHOMON. 

Long,  long  ago  in  Kyoto,  the  people  of  the  city  were 
terrified  by  accounts  of  a  dreadful  ogre,  who,  it  was  said, 
haunted  the  Gate  of  Rashomon  at  twilight  and  seized  whoever 
passed  by.  The  missing  victims  were  never  seen  again,  so  it 
was  whispered  that  the  ogre  was  a  horrible  cannibal,  who  not 
only  killed  the  unhappy  victims  but  ate  them  also.  Now 
everybody  in  the  town  and  neighbourhood  was  in  great  fear, 
and  no  one  durst  venture  out  after  sunset  near  the  Gate  of 
Rashomon. 

Now  at  this  time  there  lived  in  Kyoto  a  general  named 
Raiko,  who  had  made  himself  famous  for  his  brave  deeds. 
Some  time  before  this  he  made  the  country  ring  with  his 
name,  for  he  had  attacked  Oeyama,  where  a  band  of  ogres 
lived  with  their  chief,  who  instead  of  wine  drank  the  blood 
of  human  beings.  He  had  routed  them  all  and  cut  off  the 
head  of  the  chief  monster. 

This  brave  warrior  was  always  followed  by  a  band  of 
faithful  knights.  In  this  band  there  were  five  knights  of 
great  valour.  One  evening  as  the  five  knights  sat  at  a  feast 
quaffing  sake  in  their  rice  bowls  and  eating  all  kinds  of  fish, 
raw,  and  stewed,  and  broiled,  and  toasting  each  other's  healths 
and  exploits,  the  first  knight,  Hojo,  said  to  the  others  : 

"  Have  you  all  heard  the  rumour  that  every  evening  after 


The  Ogre  of  Rashomon.  263 

sunset  there  comes  an  ogre  to  the  Gate  of  Rashomon,  and  that 
he  seizes  all  who  pass  by  ?  " 

The  second  knight,  Watanabe,  answered  him,  saying  : 

"  Do  not  talk  such  nonsense !  All  the  ogres  were  killed  by 
our  chief  Raiko  at  Oeyama  !  It  cannot  be  true,  because  even 
if  any  ogres  did  escape  from  that  great  killing  they  would  not 
dare  to  show  themselves  in  this  city,  for  they  know  that  our 
brave  master  would  at  once  attack  them  if  he  knew  that  any  of 
them  were  still  alive  !  " 

"Then  do  you  disbelieve  what  I  say,  and  think  that  I  am 
telling  you  a  falsehood  ?  " 

"  No,  I  do  not  think  that  you  are  telling  a  lie,"  said 
Watanabe;  "but  you  have  heard  some  old  woman's  story 
which  is  not  worth  believing." 

"  Then  the  best  plan  is  to  prove  what  I  say,  by  going 
there  yourself  and  finding  out  yourself  whether  it  is  true  or 
not,"  said  Hojo. 

Watanabe,  the  second  knight,  could  not  bear  the  thought 
that  his  companion  should  believe  he  was  afraid,  so  he 
answered  quickly : 

"  Of  course,  I  will  go  at  once  and  find  out  for  myself!  " 

So  Watanabe  at  once  got  ready  to  go — he  buckled  on  his 
long  sword  and  put  on  a  coat  of  armour,  and  tied  on  his  large 
helmet.     When  he  was  ready  to  start  he  said  to  the  others  : 

"  Give  me  something  so  that  I  can  prove  I  have  been 
there!" 

Then  one  of  the  men  got  a  roll  of  writing  paper  and  his 
box  of  Indian  ink  and  brushes,  and  the  four  comrades  wrote 
their  names  on  a  piece  of  paper. 


264  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  I  will  take  this,"  said  Watanabe,  "  and  put  it  on  the  Gate 
of  Rashomon,  so  to-morrow  morning  will  you  all  go  and  look 


Watanabe  finds  the  Arm  of  the  Ogre. 


at  it  ?     I  may  be  able  to  catch  an  ogre  or  two  by  then  !  "  and 
he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  off  gallantly. 

Jt  was  a  very  dark  night,  and  there  was  neither  moon  nor 


The  Ogre  of  Rashomon.  265 

star  to  light  Watanabe  on  his  way.  To  make  the  darkness 
worse  a  storm  came  on,  the  rain  fell  heavily  and  the  wind 
howled  like  wolves  in  the  mountains.  Any  ordinary  man 
would  have  trembled  at  the  thought  of  going  out  of  doors, 
but  Watanabe  was  a  brave  warrior  and  dauntless,  and  his 
honour  and  word  were  at  stake,  so  he  sped  on  into  the  night, 
while  his  companions  listened  to  the  sound  of  his  horse's  hoofs 
dying  away  in  the  distance,  then  shut  the  sliding  shutters  close 
and  gathered  round  the  charcoal  fire  and  wondered  what  would 
happen — and  whether  their  comrade  would  encounter  one  of 
those  horrible  oni. 

At  last  Watanabe  reached  the  Gate  of  Rashomon,  but  peer  as 
he  might  through  the  darkness  he  could  see  no  sign  of  an  ogre. 

"  It  is  just  as  I  thought,"  said  Watanabe  to  himself;  "there 
are  certainly  no  ogres  here;  it  is  only  an  old  woman's  story.  I 
will  stick  this  paper  on  the  gate  so  that  the  others  can  see 
I  have  been  here  when  they  come  to-morrow,  and  then  I  will 
take  my  way  home  and  laugh  at  them  all." 

He  fastened  the  piece  of  paper,  signed  by  all  his  four 
companions,  on  the  gate,  and  then  turned  his  horse's  head 
towards  home. 

As  he  did  so  he  became  aware  that  someone  was  behind 
him,  and  at  the  same  time  a  voice  called  out  to  him  to  wait. 
Then   his  helmet  was  seized  from  the  back. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  said  Watanabe  fearlessly.  He  then  put 
out  his  hand  and  groped  around  to  find  out  who  or  what  it  was 
that  held  him  by  the  helmet.  As  he  did  so  he  touched  some- 
thing that  felt  like  an  arm — it  was  covered  with  hair  and  as 
big  round  as  the  trunk  of  a  tree  ! 


266  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

Watanabe  knew  at  once  that  this  was  the  arm  of  an  ogre, 
so  he  drew  his  sword  and  cut  at  it  fiercely. 

There  was  a  loud  yell  of  pain,  and  then  the  ogre  dashed  in 
front  of  the  warrior. 

Watanabe's  eyes  grew  large  with  wonder,  for  he  saw  that 
the  ogre  was  taller  than  the  great  gate,  his  eyes  were  flashing 
like  mirrors  in  the  sunlight,  and  his  huge  mouth  was  wide 
open,  and  as  the  monster  breathed,  flames  of  fire  shot  out 
of  his  mouth. 

The  ogre  thought  to  terrify  his  foe,  but  Watanabe  never 
flinched.  He  attacked  the  ogre  with  all  his  strength,  and  thus 
they  fought  face  to  face  for  a  long  time.  At  last  the  ogre, 
finding  that  he  could  neither  frighten  nor  beat  Watanabe  and 
that  he  might  himself  be  beaten,  took  to  flight.  But  Watanabe, 
determined  not  to  let  the  monster  escape,  put  spurs  to  his 
horse  and  gave  chase. 

But  though  the  knight  rode  very  fast  the  ogre  ran  faster, 
and  to  his  disappointment  he  found  himself  unable  to  overtake 
the  monster,  who  was  gradually  lost  to  sight. 

Watanabe  returned  to  the  gate. where  the  fierce  fight  had 
taken  place,  and  got  down  from  his  horse.  As  he  did  so  he 
stumbled  upon  something  lying  on  the  ground. 

Stooping  to  pick  it  up  he  found  that  it  was  one  of  the 
ogre's  huge  arms  which  he  must  have  slashed  off  in  the  fight. 
His  joy  was  great  at  having  secured  such  a  prize,  for  this  was 
the  best  of  all  proofs  of  his  adventure  with  the  ogre.  So  he 
took  it  up  carefully  and  carried  it  home  as  a  trophy  of  his 
victory. 

When  he  got  back,  he  showed  the  arm  to  his  comrades 


The  Ogre  of  Rashomon.  267 

who  one  and  all  called  him  the  hero  of  their  band  and  gave 
him  a  great  feast.  His  wonderful  deed  was  soon  noised  abroad 
in  Kyoto,  and  people  from  far  and  near  came  to  see  the 
ogre's  arm. 

Watanabe  now  began  to  grow  uneasy  as  to  how  he  should 
keep  the  arm  in  safety,  for  he  knew  that  the  ogre  to  whom  it 
belonged  was  still  alive.  He  felt  sure  that  one  day  or  other, 
as  soon  as  the  ogre  got  over  his  scare,  he  would  come  to  try 
to  get  his  arm  back  again.  Watanabe  therefore  had  a  box 
made  of  the  strongest  wood  and  banded  with  iron.  In  this 
he  placed  the  arm,  and  then  he  sealed  down  the  heavy  lid, 
refusing  to  open  it  for  anyone.  He  kept  the  box  in  his  own  room 
and  took  charge  of  it  himself,  never  allowing  it  out  of  his  sight. 

Now  one  night  he  heard  someone  knocking  at  the  porch, 
asking  for  admittance. 

When  the  servant  went  to  the  door  to  see  who  it  was,  there 
was  only  an  old  woman,  very  respectable  in  appearance.  On 
being  asked  who  she  was  and  what  was  her  business,  the 
old  woman  replied  with  a  smile  that  she  had  been  nurse  to 
the  master  of  the  house  when  he  was  a  little  baby.  If  the 
lord  of  the  house  were  at  home  she  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
see  him. 

The  servant  left  the  old  woman  at  the  door  and  went  to  tell 
his  master  that  his  old  nurse  had  come  to  see  him.  Watanabe 
thought  it  strange  that  she  should  come  at  that  time  of  night, 
but  at  the  thought  of  his  old  nurse,  who  had  been  like  a  foster- 
mother  to  him  and  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  a  long  time,  a 
very  tender  feeling  sprang  up  for  her  in  his  heart.  He  ordered 
the  servant  to  show  her  in. 


268 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


The  old  woman  was  ushered  into  the  room,  and  after  the 
customary  bows  and  greetings  were  over,  she  said : 

"  Master,  the  report  of  your  brave  fight  with  the  ogre  at 


Someone  was  knocking  at  the  Porch,  asking  for  Admittance. 

the  Gate  of  Rashomon  is  so  widely  known  that  even  your  poor 
old  nurse  has  heard  of  it.  Is  it  really  true,  what  everyone 
says,  that  you  cut  off  one  of  the  ogre's  arms  ?  If  you  did,  your 
deed  is  highly  to  be  praised  !  " 


The  Ogre  of  Rashomon.  269 

"  I  was  very  disappointed,"  said  Watanabe,  "  that  I  was 
not  able  take  the  monster  captive,  which  was  what  I  wished  to 
do,  instead  of  only  cutting  off  an  arm  !  " 

"  I  am  very  proud  to  think,"  answered  the  old  woman, 
"  that  my  master  was  so  brave  as  to  dare  to  cut  off  an  ogre's 
arm.  There  is  nothing  that  can  be  compared  to  your  courage. 
Before  I  die  it  is  the  great  wish  of  my  life  to  see  this  arm," 
she  added  pleadingly. 

"No,"  said  Watanabe,  "I  am  sorry,  but  I  cannot  grant 
your  request." 

"  But  why  ?  "  asked  the  old  woman. 

"Because,"  replied  Watanabe,  "ogres  are  very  revengeful 
creatures,  and  if  I  open  the  box  there  is  no  telling  but  that  the 
ogre  may  suddenly  appear  and  carry  off  his  arm.  I  have  had 
a  box  made  on  purpose  with  a  very  strong  lid,  and  in  this  box 
I  keep  the  ogre's  arm  secure;  and  I  never  show  it  to  anyone, 
whatever  happens." 

"  Your  precaution  is  very  reasonable,"  said  the  old  woman. 
"  But  I  am  your  old  nurse,  so  surely  you  will  not  refuse  to  show 
me  the  arm.  I  have  only  just  heard  of  your  brave  act,  and  not 
being  able  to  wait  till  the  morning  I  came  at  once  to  ask  you 
to  show  it  to  me." 

Watanabe  was  very  troubled  at  the  old  woman's  pleading, 
but  he  still  persisted  in  refusing.  Then  the  old  woman 
said  : 

"  Do  you  suspect  me  of  being  a  spy  sent  by  the 
ogre  ?  " 

"  No,  of  course  I  do  not  suspect  you  of  being  the  ogre's 
spy,  for  you  are  my  old  nurse,"  answered  Watanabe. 


270 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


"  Then    you    cannot    surely    refuse   to    show    me   the    arm 
any  longer,"  entreated  the  old  woman;    "for  it  is  the  great 


In  this  Way  the  Ogre  escaped  with  his  Arm. 

wish    of   my  heart   to    see    for    once    in    my   life    the    arm   of 
an  ogre !  " 

Watanabe  could  not  hold  out  in  his  refusal  any  longer,  so 
he  gave  in  at  last,  saying : 


The  Ogre  of  Rashomon.  271 

"  Then  I  will  show  you  the  ogre's  arm,  since  you  so 
earnestly  wish  to  see  it.  Come,  follow  me  !  "  and  he  led  the 
way  to  his  own  room,  the  old  woman  following. 

When  they  were  both  in  the  room  Watanabe  shut  the  door 
carefully,  and  then  going  towards  a  big  box  which  stood  in  a 
corner  of  the  room,  he  took  off  the  heavy  lid.  He  then  called 
to  the  old  woman  to  come  near  and  look  in,  for  he  never  took 
the  arm  out  of  the  box. 

"  What  is  it  like  ?  Let  me  have  a  good  look  at  it,"  said 
the  old  nurse,  with  a  joyful  face. 

She  came  nearer  and  nearer,  as  if  she  were  afraid,  till  she 
stood  right  against  the  box.  Suddenly  she  plunged  her  hand 
into  the  box  and  seized  the  arm,  crying  with  a  fearful  voice 
which  made  the  room  shake  : 

"  Oh,  joy  !     I  have  got  my  arm  back  again  !  " 

And  from  an  old  woman  she  was  suddenly  transformed 
into  the  towering  figure  of  the  frightful   ogre  ! 

Watanabe  sprang  back  and  was  unable  to  move  for  a 
moment,  so  great  was  his  astonishment ;  but  recognising 
the  ogre  who  had  attacked  him  at  the  Gate  of  Rashomon, 
he  determined  with  his  usual  courage  to  put  an  end  to  him  this 
time.  He  seized  his  sword,  drew  it  out  of  its  sheath  in  a  flash, 
and  tried  to  cut  the  ogre  down. 

So  quick  was  Watanabe  that  the  creature  had  a  narrow 
escape.  But  the  ogre  sprang  up  to  the  ceiling,  and  bursting 
through  the  roof,  disappeared  in  the  mist  and  clouds. 

In  this  way  the  ogre  escaped  with  his  arm.  The  knight 
gnashed  his  teeth  with  disappointment,  but  that  was  all  he 
could  do.     He  waited  in  patience  for  another  opportunity  to 


272  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

despatch  the  ogre.  But  the  latter  was  afraid  of  Watanabe's 
great  strength  and  daring,  and  never  troubled  Kyoto  again. 
So  once  more  the  people  of  the  city  were  able  to  go  out  without 
fear  even  at  night  time,  and  the  brave  deeds  of  Watanabe  have 
never  been  forgotten  ! 


(     273    ) 


HOW   AN    OLD    MAN   LOST   HIS   WEN. 

Many,  many  years  ago  there  lived  a  good  old  man  who  had 
a  wen  like  a  tennis-ball  growing  out  of  his  right  cheek.  This 
lump  was  a  great  disfigurement  to  the  old  man,  and  so  annoyed 
him  that  for  many  years  he  spent  all  his  time  and  money  in 
trying  to  get  rid  of  it.  He  tried  everything  he  could  think  of. 
He  consulted  many  doctors  far  and  near,  and  took  all  kinds  of 
medicines  both  internally  and  externally.  But  it  was  all  of  no 
use.  The  lump  only  grew  bigger  and  bigger  till  it  was  nearly 
as  big  as  his  face,  and  in  despair  he  gave  up  all  hopes  of  ever 
losing  it,  and  resigned  himself  to  the  thought  of  having  to  carry 
the  lump  on  his  face  all  his  life. 

One  day  the  firewood  gave  out  in  his  kitchen,  so,  as  his 
wife  wanted  some  at  once,  the  old  man  took  his  axe  and  set  out 
for  the  woods  up  among  the  hills  not  very  far  from  his  home. 
It  was  a  fine  day  in  the  early  autumn,  and  the  old  man  enjoyed 
the  fresh  air  and  was  in  no  hurry  to  get  home.  So  the 
whole  afternoon  passed  quickly  while  he  was  chopping  wood, 
and  he  had  collected  a  goodly  pile  to  take  back  to  his  wife. 
When  the  day  began  to  draw  to  its  close,  he  turned  his  face 
homewards. 

The  old  man  had  not  gone  far  on  his  way  down  the  moun- 
tain pass  when  the  sky  clouded  and  rain  began  to  fall 
heavily.     He  looked  about  for  some  shelter,  but  there  was  not 

F.B.  T 


274  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

even  a  charcoal-burner's  hut  near.  At  last  he  espied  a  large 
hole  in  the  hollow  trunk  of  a  tree.  The  hole  was  near  the 
ground,  so  he  crept  in  easily,  and  sat  down  in  hopes  that  he 
had  only  been  overtaken  by  a  mountain  shower,  and  that  the 
weather  would  soon  clear. 

But  much  to  the  old  man's  disappointment,  instead  of 
clearing  the  rain  fell  more  and  more  heavily,  and  finally  a 
heavy  thunderstorm  broke  over  the  mountain.  The  thunder 
roared  so  terrifically,  and  the  heavens  seemed  to  be  so  ablaze 
with  lightning,  that  the  old  man  could  hardly  believe  himself 
to  be  alive.  He  thought  that  he  must  die  of  fright.  At  last, 
however,  the  sky  cleared,  and  the  whole  country  was  aglow  in 
the  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  The  old  man's  spirits  revived 
when  he  looked  out  at  the  beautiful  twilight,  and  he  was  about 
to  step  out  from  his  strange  hiding-place  in  the  hollow  tree 
when  the  sound  of  what  seemed  like  the  approaching  steps  of 
several  people  caught  his  ear.  He  at  once  thought  that  his 
friends  had  come  to  look  for  him,  and  he  was  delighted  at  the 
idea  of  having  some  jolly  companions  with  whom  to  walk  home. 
But  on  looking  out  from  the  tree,  what  was  his  amazement  to 
see,  not  his  friends,  but  hundreds  of  demons  coming  towards 
the  spot.  The  more  he  looked,  the  greater  was  his  astonish- 
ment. Some  of  these  demons  were  as  large  as  giants,  others 
had  great  big  eyes  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  rest  of  their 
bodies,  others  again  had  absurdly  long  noses,  and  some  had  such 
big  mouths  that  they  seemed  to  open  from  ear  to  ear.  All  had 
horns  growing  on  their  foreheads.  The  old  man  was  so 
surprised  at  what  he  saw  that  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell  out 
of  the  hollow  tree.     Fortunately  for  him  the  demons  did  not 


How  an  Old   Man  Lost  his  Wen.  275 

see  him,  as  the  tree  was  in  the  background.  So  he  picked 
himself  up  and  crept  back  into  the  tree. 

While  he  was  sitting  there  and  wondering  impatiently  when 
he  would  be  able  to  get  home,  he  heard  the  sounds  of  gay 
music,  and  then  some  of  the  demons  began  to  sing. 

"What  are  these  creatures  doing?"  said  the  old  man  to 
himself.     "  I  will  look  out,  it  sounds  very  amusing." 

On  peeping  out,  the  old  man  saw  that  the  demon  chief  himself 
was  actually  sitting  with  his  back  against  the  tree  in  which  he  had 
taken  refuge,  and  all  the  other  demons  were  sitting  round,  some 
drinking  and  some  dancing.  Food  and  wine  was  spread  before 
them  on  the  ground,  and  the  demons  were  evidently  having 
a  great  entertainment  and  enjoying  themselves  immensely. 

It  made  the  old  man  laugh  to  see  their  strange  antics. 

"  How  amusing  this  is!  "  laughed  the  old  man  to  himself. 
"  I  am  now  quite  old,  but  I  have  never  seen  anything  so  strange 
in  all  my  life." 

He  was  so  interested  and  excited  in  watching  all  that  the 
demons  were  doing,  that  he  forgot  himself  and  stepped  out  of 
the  tree  and  stood  looking  on. 

The  demon  chief  was  just  taking  a  big  cup  of  sake  and 
watching  one  of  the  demons  dancing.  In  a  little  while  he  said 
with  a  bored  air  : 

"  Your  dance  is  rather  monotonous.  I  am  tired  of  watching 
it.  Isn't  there  anyone  amongst  you  all  who  can  dance  better 
than  this  fellow  ?  " 

Now  the  old  man  had  been  fond  of  dancing  all  his  life, 
and  was  quite  an  expert  in  the  art,  and  he  knew  that  he  could 
do  much  better  than  the  demon. 

T2 


276  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"  Shall  I  go  and  dance  before  these  demons  and  let  them 
see  what  a  human  being  can  do  ?  It  may  be  dangerous,  for  if 
I  don't  please  them  they  may  kill  me  !  "  said  the  old  fellow  to 
himself. 

His  fears,  however,  were  soon  overcome  by  his  love  of 
dancing.  In  a  few  minutes  he  could  restrain  himself  no 
longer,  and  came  out  before  the  whole  party  of  demons  and 
began  to  dance  at  once.  The  old  man,  realising  that  his 
life  probably  depended  on  whether  he  pleased  these  strange 
creatures  or  not,  exerted  his  skill  and  wit  to  the  utmost. 

The  demons  were  at  first  very  surprised  to  see  a  man  so 
fearlessly  taking  part  in  their  entertainment,  and  then  their 
surprise  soon  gave  place  to  admiration. 

"  How  strange  !  "  exclaimed  the  horned  chief.  "  I  never 
saw  such  a  skilful  dancer  before  !     He  dances  admirably  !  " 

When  the  old  man  had  finished  his  dance,  the  big  demon  said : 

"  Thank  you  very  much  for  your  amusing  dance.  Now 
give  us  the  pleasure  of  drinking  a  cup  of  wine  with  us,"  and 
with  these  words  he  handed  him  his  largest  wine-cup. 

The  old  man  thanked  him  very  humbly : 

"  I  did  not  expect  such  kindness  from  your  lordship.  I  fear 
I  have  only  disturbed  your  pleasant  party  by  my  unskilful 
dancing." 

"No,  no,"  answered  the  big  demon.  "You  must  come 
often  and  dance  for  us.     Your  skill  has  given  us  much  pleasure." 

The  old  man  thanked  him  again  and  promised  to  do  so. 

"  Then  will  you  come  again  to-morrow,  old  man  ?  "  asked 
the  demon. 

"  Certainly  I  will !  "  answered  the  old  man- 


How  an  Old  Man  Lost  his  Wen. 


277 


"  Then  you  must  leave  some  pledge  of  your  word  with  us," 
said  the  demon. 

"  Whatever  you  like,"  said  the  old  man. 

"  Now  what  is  the  best  thing  he  can  leave  with  us  as  a 
pledge  ?  "  asked  the  demon,  looking  round. 


The  Demon  took  the  great  Lump  from  the  Old  Man's  Cheek. 

Then  said  one  of  the  demon's  attendants  kneeling  behind 
the  chief: 

"  The  token  he  leaves  with  us  must  be  the  most  important 
thing  to  him  in  his  possession.  I  see  the  old  man  has  a 
wen  on  his  right  cheek.  Now  mortal  men  consider  such  a 
wen  very  fortunate.  Let  my  lord  take  the  lump  from  the 
old  man's  right  cheek,  and  he  will  surely  come  to-morrow,  if 
only  to  get  that  back." 


278  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

"You  are  very  clever,"  said  the  demon  chief,  giving  his 
horns  an  approving  nod.  Then  he  stretched  out  a  hairy  arm 
and  claw-like  hand,  and  took  the  great  lump  from  the  old 
man's  right  cheek.  Strange  to  say,  it  came  off  as  easily  as  a 
ripe  plum  from  the  tree  at  the  demon's  touch,  and  then  the 
merry  troop  of  demons  suddenly  vanished. 

The  old  man  was  lost  in  bewilderment  by  all  that  had 
happened.  He  hardly  knew  for  some  time  where  he  was. 
When  he  came  to  understand  what  had  happened  to  him,  he 
was  delighted  to  find  that  the  lump  on  his  face,  which  had  for 
so  many  years  disfigured  him,  had  really  been  taken  away 
without  any  pain  to  himself.  He  put  up  his  hand  to  feel  if  any 
scar  remained,  but  found  that  his  right  cheek  was  as  smooth 
as  his  left. 

The  sun  had  long  set,  and  the  young  moon  had  risen  like  a 
silver  crescent  in  the  sky.  The  old  man  suddenly  realised  how 
late  it  was  and  began  to  hurry  home.  He  patted  his  right 
cheek  all  the  time,  as  if  to  make  sure  of  his  good  fortune  in 
having  lost  the  wen.  He  was  so  happy  that  he  found  it 
impossible  to  walk  quietly — he  ran  and  danced  the  whole  way 
home. 

He  found  his  wife  very  anxious,  wondering  what  had 
happened  to  make  him  so  late.  He  soon  told  her  all  that  had 
passed  since  he  left  home  that  afternoon.  She  was  quite  as 
happy  as  her  husband  when  he  showed  her  that  the  ugly 
lump  had  disappeared  from  his  face,  for  in  her  youth  she 
had  prided  herself  on  his  good  looks,  and  it  had  been  a  daily 
grief  to  her  to  see  the  horrid  growth. 

Now  next  door  to  this  good  old  couple  there  lived  a  wicked 


How  an  Old  Man  Lost  his  Wen. 


279 


and    disagreeable    old    man 


He,  too,  had  for  many  years 
been  troubled  with  the  growth  of  a  wen  on  his  left  cheek, 
and  he,  too,  had  tried  all  manner  of  things  to  get  rid  of 
it,  but  in  vain. 


The  Old  Man  told  his  Neighbour  all  that  had   happened. 

He  heard  at  once,  through  the  servant,  of  his  neighbour's 
good  luck  in  losing  the  lump  on  his  face,  so  he  called  that  very 
evening  and  asked  his  friend  to  tell  him  everything  that 
concerned  the  loss  of  it.  The  good  old  man  told  his  disagree- 
able neighbour  all  that  had  happened  to  him.  He  described 
the  place  where  he  would  find  the  hollow  tree  in  which  to  hide, 


280  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

and  advised  him  to  be  on  the  spot  in  the  late  afternoon  towards 
the  time  of  sunset. 

The  old  neighbour  started  out  the  very  next  afternoon,  and 
after  hunting  about  for  some  time,  came  to  the  hollow  tree 
just  as  his  friend  had  described.  Here  he  hid  himself  and 
waited  for  the  twilight. 

Just  as  he  had  been  told,  the  band  of  demons  came  at  that 
hour  and  held  a  feast  with  dance  and  song.  When  this  had 
gone  on  for  some  time  the  chief  of  the  demons  looked  around 
and  said  : 

"  It  is  now  time  for  the  old  man  to  come  as  he  promised  us. 
Why  doesn't  he  come  ?  " 

When  the  second  old  man  heard  these  words  he  ran  out  of 
his  hiding-place  in  the  tree  and,  kneeling  down  before  the  oni, 
said  : 

"  I  have  been  waiting  for  a  long  time  for  you  to  speak  !  " 

"  Ah,  you  are  the  old  man  of  yesterday,"  said  the  demon 
chief.     "  Thank  you  for  coming,  you  must  dance  for  us  soon." 

The  old  man  now  stood  up  and  opened  his  fan  and  began 
to  dance.  But  he  had  never  learned  to  dance,  and  knew 
nothing  about  the  necessary  gestures  and  different  positions. 
He  thought  that  anything  would  please  the  demons,  so  he  just 
hopped  about,  waving  his  arms  and  stamping  his  feet, 
imitating  as  well  as  he  could  any  dancing  he  had  ever  seen. 

The  oni  were  very  dissatisfied  at  this  exhibition,  and  said 
amongst  themselves  : 

"  How  badly  he  dances  to-day  !  " 

Then  to  the  old  man  the  demon  chief  said  : 

"  Your  performance  to-day  is  quite  different  from  the  dance 


How  an  Old  Man  Lost  his  Wen. 


281 


of  yesterday.  We  don't  wish  to  see  any  more  of  such  dancing. 
We  will  give  you  back  the  pledge  you  left  with  us.  You  must 
go  away  at  once." 

With  these  words  he  took  out  from  a  fold  of  his  dress  the 


t#*r 


There  was  now  a  great  Wen  on  the  Right  Side  of  his  Face  as  on  the  Left. 


lump  which  he  had  taken  from  the  face  of  the  old  man  who 
had  danced  so  well  the  day  before,  and  threw  it  at  the  right 
cheek  of  the  old  man  who  stood  before  him.  The  lump 
immediately  attached  itself  to  his  cheek  as  firmly  as  if  it  had 
grown  there  always,  and  all  attempts  to  pull  it  off  were  useless. 
The  wicked  old   man,  instead  of  losing  the  lump  on  his  left 


282  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

cheek  as  he  had  hoped,  found  to  his  dismay  that  he  had  but 
added  another  to  his  right  cheek  in  his  attempt  to  get  rid 
of  the  first. 

He  put  up  first  one  hand  and  then  the  other  to  each  side 
of  his  face  to  make  sure  if  he  were  not  dreaming  a  horrible 
nightmare.  No,  sure  enough  there  was  now  a  great  wen  on 
the  right  side  of  his  face  as  on  the  left.  The  demons  had  all 
disappeared,  and  there  was  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  to  return 
home.  He  was  a  pitiful  sight,  for  his  face,  with  the  two  large 
lumps,  one  on  each  side,  looked  just  like  a  Japanese  gourd. 


(     283     ) 


THE    STONES   OF    FIVE    COLOURS   AND   THE 
EMPRESS   JOKWA. 

An  Old  Chinese   Story. 

Long,  long  ago  there  lived  a  great  Chinese  Empress  who 
succeeded  her  brother  the  Emperor  Fuki.  It  was  the  age  ot 
giants,  and  the  Empress  Jokwa,  for  that  was  her  name,  was 
twenty-five  feet  high,  nearly  as  tall  as  her  brother.  She  was 
a  wonderful  woman,  and  an  able  ruler.  There  is  an  interesting 
story  of  how  she  mended  a  pavi.  of  the  broken  heavens  and  one 
of  the  terrestrial  pillars  which  upheld  the  sky,  both  of  which 
were  damaged  during  a  rebellion  raised  by  one  of  King  Fuki's 
subjects. 

The  rebel's  name  was  Kokai.  He  was  twenty-six  feet  high. 
His  body  was  entirely  covered  with  hair,  and  his  face  was  as 
black  as  iron.  He  was  a  wizard  and  a  very  terrible  character 
indeed.  When  the  Emperor  Fuki  died,  Kokai  was  bitten  with 
the  ambition  to  be  Emperor  of  China,  but  his  plan  failed,  and 
Jokwa,  the  dead  Emperor's  sister,  mounted  the  throne.  Kokai 
was  so  angry  at  being  thwarted  in  his  desire  that  he  raised  a 
revolt.  His  first  act  was  to  employ  the  Water  Devil,  who 
caused  a  great  flood  to  rush  over  the  country.  This  swamped 
the  poor  people  out  of  their  homes,  and  when  the  Empress 
Jokwa  saw  the  plight  of  her  subjects,  and  knew  it  was  Kokai's 
fault,  she  declared  war  against  him. 


284 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


Now  Jokwa,  the  Empress,  had  two  young  warriors  called 
Hako  and  Eiko,  and  the  former  she  made  General  of  the  front 
forces.     Hako  was  delighted  that  the  Empress's  choice  should 


The  Empress  Jokwrt. 

fall  on  him,  and  he  prepared  himself  for  battle.  He  took  up 
the  longest  lance  he  could  find  and  mounted  a  red  horse,  and 
was  just  about  to  set  out  when  he  heard  someone  galloping 
hard  behind  him  and  shouting: 


Stones  of  Five  Colours  and  the  Empress  Jokwa.    285 

"  Hako !  Stop  !  The  General  of  the  front  forces  must 
be  I!" 

He  looked  back  and  saw  Eiko  his  comrade,  riding  on  a 
white  horse,  in  the  act  of  unsheathing  a  large  sword  to  draw 


Hako  looked  back  and   saw  Eiko   unsheathing  a  large  Sword. 

upon  him.  Hako's  anger  was  kindled,  and  as  he  turned  to 
face  his  rival  he  cried : 

"  Insolent  wretch  !  I  have  been  appointed  by  the  Empress 
to  lead  the  front  forces  to  battle.  Do  you  dare  to  stop 
me?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Eiko.  "  I  ought  to  lead  the  army.  It  is 
you  who  should  follow  me." 


286  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

At  this  bold  reply  Hako's  anger  burst  from  a  spark  into  a 
flame. 

"  Dare  you  answer  me  thus?  Take  that,"  and  he  lunged 
at  him  with  his  lance. 

But  Eiko  moved  quickly  aside,  and  at  the  same  time, 
raising  his  sword,  he  wounded  the  head  of  the  General's  horse. 
Obliged  to  dismount,  Hako  was  about  to  rush  at  his  antagonist, 
when  Eiko,  as  quick  as  lightning,  tore  from  his  breast  the 
badge  of  commandership  and  galloped  away.  The  action  was 
so  quick  that  Hako  stood  dazed,  not  knowing  what  to  do. 

The  Empress  had  been  a  spectator  of  the  scene,  and  she 
could  not  but  admire  the  quickness  of  the  ambitious  Eiko,  and 
in  order  to  pacify  the  rivals  she  determined  to  appoint  them 
both  to  the  Generalship  of  the  front  army. 

So  Hako  was  made  commander  of  the  left  wing  of  the 
front  army,  and  Eiko  of  the  right.  One  hundred  thousand 
soldiers  followed  them  and  marched  to  put  down  the  rebel  Kokai. 

Within  a  short  time  the  two  Generals  reached  the  castle 
where  Kokai  had  fortified  himself.  When  aware  of  their 
approach,  the  wizard  said  : 

"  I  will  blow  these  two  poor  children  away  with  one 
breath."     (He  little  thought  how  hard  he  would  find  the  fight.) 

With  these  words  Kokai  seized  an  iron  rod  and  mounted  a 
black  horse,  and  rushed  forth  like  an  angry  tiger  to  meet  his 
two  foes. 

As  the  two  young  warriors  saw  him  tearing  down  upon  them, 
they  said  to  each  other  :  "  We  must  not  let  him  escape  alive," 
and  they  attacked  him  from  the  right  and  from  the  left  with 
sword  and  with  lance.     But  the  all-powerful  Kokai  was  not  to 


Stones  of  Five  Colours  and  the  Empress  Jokwa.    287 

be  easily  beaten — he  whirled  his  iron  rod  round  like  a  great 
water-wheel,  and  for  a  long  time  they  fought  thus,  neither  side 
gaining  nor  losing.  At  last,  to  avoid  the  wizard's  iron  rod, 
Hako  turned  his  horse  too  quickly ;  the  animal's  hoofs  struck 
against  a  large  stone,  and  in  a  fright  the  horse  reared  as 
straight  on  end  as  a  screen,  throwing  his  master  to  the 
ground. 

Thereupon  Kokai  drew  his  three-edged  sword  and  was 
about  to  kill  the  prostrate  Hako,  but  before  the  wizard  could 
work  his  wicked  will  the  brave  Eiko  had  wheeled  his  horse  in 
front  of  Kokai  and  dared  him  to  try  his  strength  with  him,  and 
not  to  kill  a  fallen  man.  But  Kokai  was  tired,  and  he  did  not 
feel  inclined  to  face  this  fresh  and  dauntless  young  soldier,  so 
suddenly  wheeling  his  horse  round,  he  fled  from  the  fray. 

Hako,  who  had  been  only  slightly  stunned,  had  by  this 
time  got  upon  his  feet,  and  he  and  his  comrade  rushed  after 
the  retreating  enemy,  the  one  on  foot  and  the  other  on 
horseback. 

Kokai,  seeing  that  he  was  pursued,  turned  upon  his  nearest 
assailant,  who  was,  of  course,  the  mounted  Eiko,  and  drawing 
forth  an  arrow  from  the  quiver  at  his  back,  fitted  it  to  his  bow 
and  drew  upon  Eiko. 

As  quick  as  lightning  the  wary  Eiko  avoided  the  shaft, 
which  only  touched  his  helmet  strings,  and  glancing  off,  fell 
harmless  against  Hako's  coat  of  armour. 

The  wizard  saw  that  both  his  enemies  remained  unscathed. 
He  also  knew  that  there  was  no  time  to  pull  a  second  arrow 
before  they  would  be  upon  him,  so  to  save  himself  he  resorted 
to  magic.     He  stretched  forth  his  wand,   and  immediately  a 


288  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

great  flood  arose,  and  Jokwa's  army  and  her  brave  young 
Generals  were  swept  away  like  a  falling  of  autumn  leaves  on  a 
stream. 

Hako  and  Eiko  found  themselves  struggling  neck  deep  in 
water,  and  looking  round  they  saw  the  ferocious  Kokai  making 
towards  them  through  the  water  with  his  iron  rod  on  high. 
They  thought  every  moment  that  they  would  be  cut  down,  but 
they  bravely  struck  out  to  swim  as  far  as  they  could  from 
Kokai's  reach.  All  of  a  sudden  they  found  themselves  in  front 
of  what  seemed  to  be  an  island  rising  straight  out  of  the  water. 
They  looked  up,  and  there  stood  an  old  man  with  hair  as  white 
as  snow,  smiling  at  them.  They  cried  to  him  to  help  them. 
The  old  man  nodded  his  head  and  came  down  to  the  edge  of 
the  water.  As  soon  as  his  feet  touched  the  flood  it  divided, 
and  a  good  road  appeared,  to  the  amazement  of  the  drowning 
men,  who  now  found  themselves  safe. 

Kokai  had  by  this  time  reached  the  island  which  had  risen 
as  il  by  a  miracle  out  of  the  water,  and  seeing  his  enemies  thus 
saved  he  was  furious.  He  rushed  through  the  water  upon  the 
old  man,  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  would  surely  be  killed.  But 
the  old  man  appeared  not  in  the  least  dismayed,  and  calmly 
awaited  the  wizard's  onslaught. 

As  Kokai  drew  near,  the  old  man  laughed  aloud  merrily,  and 
turning  into  a  large  and  beautiful  white  crane,  flapped  his  wings 
and  flew  upwards  into  the  heavens. 

When  Hako  and  Eiko  saw  this,  they  knew  that  their 
deliverer  was  no  mere  human  being — was  perhaps  a  god  in  dis- 
guise— and  they  hoped  later  on  to  find  out  who  the  venerable 
pld  man  was, 


Stones  of  Five  Colours  and  the  Empress  Jokwa.    289 

In  the  meantime  they  had  retreated,  and  it  being  now  the 
close  of  day,  for  the  sun  was  setting,  both  Kokai  and  the  young 
warriors  gave  up  the  idea  of  fighting  more  that  day. 

That  night  Hako  and  Eiko  decided  that  it  was  useless  to 
fight  against  the  wizard  Kokai,  for  he  had  supernatural  powers, 
while  they  were  only  human.  So  they  presented  themselves 
before  the  Empress  Jokwa.  After  a  long  consultation,  the 
Empress  decided  to  ask  the  Fire  King,  Shikuyu,  to  help  her 
against  the  rebel  wizard  and  to  lead  her  army  against  him. 

Now  Shikuyu,  the  Fire  King,  lived  at  the  South  Pole.  It 
was  the  only  safe  place  for  him  to  be  in,  for  he  burnt  up  every- 
thing around  him  anywhere  else,  but  it  was  impossible  to  burn 
up  ice  and  snow.  To  look  at  he  was  a  giant,  and  stood  thirty 
feet  high.  His  face  was  just  like  marble,  and  his  hair  and 
beard  long  and  as  white  as  snow.  His  strength  was  stupendous, 
and  he  was  master  of  all  fire  just  as  Kokai  was  of  water. 

"  Surely,"  thought  the  Empress,  "  Shikuyu  can  conquer 
Kokai."  So  she  sent  Eiko  to  the  South  Pole  to  beg  Shikuyu 
to  take  the  war  against  Kokai  into  his  own  hands  and  conquer 
him  once  for  all. 

The  Fire  King,  on  hearing  the  Empress's  request,  smiled 
and  said  : 

"  That  is  an  easy  matter,  to  be  sure  !  It  was  none  other 
than  I  who  came  to  your  rescue  when  you  and  your  companion 
were  drowning  in  the  flood  raised  by  Kokai  !  " 

Eiko  was  surprised  at  learning  this.  He  thanked  the  Fire 
King  for  coming  to  the  rescue  in  their  dire  need,  and  then 
besought  him  to  return  with  him  and  lead  the  war  and  defeat 
the  wicked  Kokai. 

F.B,  U 


290 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


Shikuyu  did  as  he  was  asked,  and  returned  with  Eiko  to 
the  Empress.  She  welcomed  the  Fire  King  cordially,  and  at 
once  told  him  why  she  had  sent  for  him — to  ask  him  to  be  the 
Generalissimo  of  her  army.     His  reply  was  very  reassuring: 


Eiko  visits  the   Fire   King;. 


"  Do  not  have  any  anxiety.  I  will  certainly  kill  Kokai." 
Shikuyu  then  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  thirty  thousand 
soldiers,  and  with  Hako  and  Eiko  showing  him  the  way, 
marched  to  the  enemy's  <  castle.  The  Fire  King  knew  the 
secret  of  Kokai's  power,  and  he  now  told  all  the  soldiers  to 
gather  a  certain  kind  of  shrub.     This  they  burned  in  large 


Stones  of  Five  Colours  and  the  Empress  Jokwa.     291 

quantities,  and  each  soldier  was  then  ordered  to  fill  a  bag  full 
of  the  ashes  thus  obtained. 

Kokai,  on  the  other  hand,  in  his  own  conceit,  thought  that 
Shikuyu  was  of  inferior  power  to  himself,  and  he  murmured 
angrily : 

"  Even  though  you  are  the  Fire  King,  I  can  soon  extinguish 
you." 

Then  he  repeated  an  incantation,  and  the  water-floods  rose 
and  welled  as  high  as  mountains.  Shikuyu,  not  in  the  least 
frightened,  ordered  his  soldiers  to  scatter  the  ashes  which  he 
had  caused  them  to  make.  Every  man  did  as  he  was  bid,  and 
such  was  the  power  of  the  plant  that  they  had  burned,  that  as 
soon  as  the  ashes  mingled  with  the  water  a  stiff  mud  was 
formed,  and  they  were  all  safe  from  drowning. 

Now  Kokai  the  wizard  was  dismayed  when  he  saw  that  the 
Fire  King  was  superior  in  wisdom  to  himself,  and  his  anger 
was  so  great  that  he  rushed  headlong  towards  the  enemy. 

Eiko  rode  to  meet  him,  and  the  two  fought  together  for 
some  time.  They  were  well  matched  in  a  hand-to-hand 
combat.  Hako,  who  was  carefully  watching  the  fray,  saw  that 
Eiko  began  to  tire,  and  fearing  that  his  companion  would  be 
killed,  he  took  his  place. 

But  Kokai  had  tired  as  well,  and  feeling  himself  unable  to 
hold  out  against  Hako,  he  said  artfully  : 

"  You  are  too  magnanimous,  thus  to  fight  for  your  friend  and 
run  the  risk  of  being:  killed.     I  will  not  hurt  such  a  e;ood  man." 

And  he  pretended  to  retreat,  turning  away  the  head  of  his 
horse.  His  intention  was  to  throw  Hako  off  his  guard  and 
then  to  wheel  round  and  take  him  by  surprise. 


292  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

But  Shikuyu  understood  the  wily  wizard,  and  he  spoke  at 
once  : 

"  You  are  a  coward  !     You  cannot  deceive  me  !  " 

Saying  this,  the  Fire  King  made  a  sign  to  the  unwary 
Hako  to  attack  him.  Kokai  now  turned  upon  Shikuyu 
furiously,  but  he  was  tired  and  unable  to  fight  well,  and  he 
soon  received  a  wound  in  his  shoulder.  He  now  broke  from 
the  fray  and  tried  to  escape  in  earnest. 

While  the  fight  between  their  leaders  had  been  going  on 
the  two  armies  had  stood  waiting  for  the  issue.  Shikuyu  now 
turned  and  bade  Jokwa's  soldiers  charge  the  enemy's  forces. 
This  they  did,  and  routed  them  with  great  slaughter,  and  the 
wizard  barely  escaped  with  his  life. 

It  was  in  vain  that  Kokai  called  upon  the  Water  Devil  to 
help  him,  for  Shikuyu  knew  the  counter-charm.  The  wizard 
found  that  the  battle  was  against  him.  Mad  with  pain,  for  his 
wound  began  to  trouble  him,  and  frenzied  with  disappointment 
and  fear,  he  dashed  his  head  against  the  rocks  of  Mount  Shu, 
and  died  on  the  spot. 

There  was  an  end  of  the  wicked  Kokai,  but  not  of  trouble 
in  the  Empress  Jokwa's  Kingdom,  as  you  shall  see.  The 
force  with  which  the  wizard  fell  against  the  rocks  was  so  great 
that  the  mountain  burst,  and  fire  rushed  out  from  the  earth, 
and  one  of  the  pillars  upholding  the  Heavens  was  broken,  so 
that  one  corner  of  the  sky  dropped  till  it  touched  the  earth. 

Shikuyu,  the  Fire  King,  took  up  the  body  of  the  wizard  and 
carried  it  to  the  Empress  Jokwa,  who  rejoiced  greatly  that 
her  enemy  was  vanquished,  and  her  generals  victorious.  She 
showered  all  manner  of  gifts  and  honours  upon  Shikuyu. 


Stones  of  Five  Colours  and  the  Empress  Jokwa.    293 

But  all  this  time  fire  was  bursting  from  the  mountain 
broken  by  the  fall  of  Kokai.  Whole  villages  were  destroyed, 
rice-fields  burnt  up,  river  beds  filled  with  the  burning  lava,  and 
the  homeless  people  were  in  great  distress.  So  the  Empress 
left  the  capital  as  soon  as  she  had  rewarded  the  victor 
Shikuyu,  and  journeyed  with  all  speed  to  the  scene  of  disaster. 
She  found  that  both  Heaven  and  earth  had  sustained  damage, 
and  the  place  was  so  dark  that  she  had  to  light  her  lamp  to 
find  out  the  extent  of  the  havoc  that  had  been  wrought. 

Having  ascertained  this,  she  set  to  work  at  repairs.  To  this 
end  she  ordered  her  subjects  to  collect  stones  of  five  colours — 
blue,  yellow,  red,  white  and  black.  When  she  had  obtained 
these,  she  boiled  them  with  a  kind  of  porcelain  in  a  large 
cauldron,  and  the  mixture  became  a  beautiful  paste,  and  with  this 
she  knew  that  she  could  mend  the  sky.     Now  all  was  ready. 

Summoning  the  clouds  that  were  sailing  ever  so  high  above 
her  head,  she  mounted  them,  and  rode  heavenwards,  carrying 
in  her  hands  the  vase  containing  the  paste  made  from  the  stones 
of  five  colours.  She  soon  reached  the  corner  of  the  sky  that 
was  broken,  and  applied  the  paste  and  mended  it.  Having 
done  this,  she  turned  her  attention  to  the  broken  pillar,  and 
with  the  legs  of  a  very  large  tortoise  she  mended  it.  When 
this  was  finished  she  mounted  the  clouds  and  descended  to  the 
earth,  hoping  to  find  that  all  was  now  right,  but  to  her  dismay 
she  found  that  it  was  still  quite  dark.  Neither  the  sun  shone 
by  day  nor  the  moon  by  night. 

Greatly  perplexed,  she  at  last  called  a  meeting  of  all  the 
wise  men  of  the  Kingdom,  and  asked  their  advice  as  to  what 
she  should  do  in  this  dilemma. 


294 


Japanese  Fairy  Book. 


Two  of  the  wisest  said  : 

"  The  roads  of  Heaven  have  been  damaged  by  the  late 
accident,  and  the  Sun  and  Moon  have  been  obliged  to  stay  at 
home.  Neither  the  Sun  could  make  his  daily  journey  nor  the 
Moon  her  nightly  one  because  of  the  bad  roads.     The  Sun  and 


The  Ambassadors   set  out  in  the  Magic  Chariots. 

Moon  do  not  yet  know  that  your  Majesty  has  mended  all  that 
was  damaged,  so  we  will  go  and  inform  them  that  since  you 
have  repaired  them  the  roads  are  safe." 

The  Empress  approved  of  what  the  wise  men  suggested, 
and  ordered  them  to  set  out  on  their  mission.  But  this  was 
not  easy,  for  the  Palace  of  the  Sun  and  Moon  was  many,  many 


Stones  of  Five  Colours  and  the  Empress  Jokwa.    295 

hundreds  of  thousands  of  miles  distant  into  the  East.  If  they 
travelled  on  foot  they  might  never  reach  the  place,  they  would 
die  of  old  age  on  the  road.  But  Jokwa  had  recourse  to  magic. 
She  gave  her  two  ambassadors  wonderful  chariots  which  could 
whirl  through  the  air  by  magic  power  a  thousand  miles  per 
minute.  They  set  out  in  good  spirits,  riding  above  the  clouds, 
and  after  many  days  they  reached  the  country  where  the  Sun 
and  the  Moon  were  living  happily  together. 

The  two  ambassadors  were  granted  an  interview  with  their 
Majesties  of  Light  and  asked  them  why  they  had  for  so  many 
days  secluded  themselves  from  the  Universe  ?  Did  they  not 
know  that  by  doing  so  they  plunged  the  world  and  all  its 
people  into  uttermost  darkness  both  day  and  night  ? 

Replied  the  Sun  and  the  Moon  : 

"  Surely  you  know  that  Mount  Shu  has  suddenly  burst 
forth  with  fire,  and  the  roads  of  Heaven  have  been  greatly 
damaged  !  I,  the  Sun,  found  it  impossible  to  make  my  daily 
journey  along  such  rough  roads — and  certainly  the  Moon  could 
not  issue  forth  at  night !  so  we  both  retired  into  private  life  for 
a  time." 

Then  the  two  wise  men  bowed  themselves  to  the  ground 
and  said  : 

"  Our  Empress  Jokwa  has  already  repaired  the  roads  with 
the  wonderful  stones  of  five  colours,  so  we  beg  to  assure  your 
Majesties  that  the  roads  are  just  as  they  were  before  the 
eruption  took  place." 

But  the  Sun  and  the  Moon  still  hesitated,  saying  that  they 
had  heard  that  one  of  the  pillars  of  Heaven  had  been  broken  as 
well,  and  they  feared  that,  even  if  the  roads  had  been  remade, 


296  Japanese  Fairy  Book. 

it  would  still  be  dangerous  for  them  to  sally  forth  on  their 
usual  journeys. 

"  You  need  have  no  anxiety  about  the  broken  pillar,"  said 
the  two  ambassadors.  "  Our  Empress  restored  it  with  the 
legs  of  a  great  tortoise,  and  it  is  as  firm  as  ever  it  was." 

Then  the  Sun  and  Moon  appeared  satisfied,  and  they  both 
set  out  to  try  the  roads.  They  found  that  what  the  Empress's 
deputies  had  told  them  was  correct. 

After  the  examination  of  the  heavenly  roads,  the  Sun  and 
Moon  again  gave  light  to  the  earth.  All  the  people  rejoiced 
greatly,  and  peace  and  prosperity  were  secured  in  China  for  a 
long  time  under  the  reign  of  the  wise  Empress  Jokwa. 


THE    END. 


I 


BRADRr'PV,    AQNEW,    &   CO-  T-D  ,    PRINTERS,  LONDON   AND  TONBRIDGT-. 


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».  Hp 


